three days after the death of this great benefactor and patron, Mahomet had the additional mortification to lose his wife Khadijah, who had so generously made his

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 doc- fortune. For which reason this

year is called the year of mourn

trine, went over to the opposite party, whose chief was Abu So-ing. sian 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 name of God. Of this accident 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 ought 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.

In the same year Abu Taleb died at the age of above fourscore: and it is the general opinion that he died an infidel; though others say, that when he was at the point of death he embraced Mahometanism; and produce some passages out of his poetical compositions to confirm their assertion. About a month, or, as some write,

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 discouraged his followers. However, Mahomet was not wanting to himself; but boldly continued to preach to the public assemblies at the pilgrimage, and gained several proselytes; and among them six of the inhabitants of Yathreb, of the Jewish tribe of Khazraj; who, 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 the same.

credit, but increased it to such a degree that he was secure of beIn the twelfth year of his mis- ing able to make his disciples swalsion it was that Mahomet gave out low whatever he pleased to imthat he had made his night jour- pose on them for the future. And ney from Mecca to Jerusalem, this fiction, notwithstanding its and thence to heaven, so much extravagance, was one of the spoken of by all that write of most artful contrivances Mahohim. Dr. Prideaux thinks he in-met ever put in practice, and what vented it either to answer the ex- chiefly contributed to the raising pectations of those who demanded of his reputation to that great some miracle as a proof of his height to which it afterwards armission; or else, by pretending to rived. have conversed 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

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

a regard should be paid to his say- the north of that city. This ings as his followers have since oath was called the women's oath; done; and, seeing he all along dis-not that any women were present claimed any power of performing at this time, but because a man 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

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 hich 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 them more fully in the grounds and ceremonies of his new religion.

declare their minds, and let him provide for his safety in some other manner. Upon their protesting their sincerity, Mahomet swore to be faithful to them, on

Masab, being arrived at Medina, by the assistance of those who condition that they should protect had been formerly converted, gain- him against all insults as heartily ed several proselytes, particularly as they would their own wives and 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.

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 propagated his religion by fair means; so that the whole success of his enterprise, before his flight to Medina, must be attributed to persuasion only, and not to compulsion. For before this second oath of fealty or inauguration at Al Akaba, he had no permission to use any force at all; and in several places of the Koran, which he pretended were revealed during his stay at Mecca, he declares his business was only to preach and admonish; that he had no authority to compel any person to embrace his religion; and that, whether people believe or not, was none of his concern, but belonged solely unto God. And he

The next year being the thirteenth of Mahomet's mission, Masab returned to Mecca, accompanied by seventy-three men and two women of Medina who had professed Islamism, besides some others who were as yet unbelievers. On their arrival they immediately sent to Mahomet, and offered him their assistance, of which he was now in great need; for his adversaries were by this time grown so powerful in Mecca, that he could not stay there much longer without imminent danger. Wherefore he accepted their proposal, and met them one night, by appointment, at Al Akaba abovementioned, attended by his uncle Al Abbas; who, though he was not then a believer, wished his nephew well, and made a speech to those of Medina; wherein he told them, that, as Mahomet was obliged to quit his native city, and seek an asylum elsewhere, and was so far from allowing his folthey had offered him their protec-lowers to use force, that he extion, they would do well not to horted them to bear patiently deceive him; that if they were those injuries which were offered not firmly resolved to defend, and them on account of their faith; not betray him, they had better and, when persecuted himself,

1

chose rather to quit the place offensive and defensive which he his birth, and retire to Medina, had now concluded with those of than to make any resistance. But Medina, directed them to repair

thither, which they accordingly did; but himself, with Abu Becr and Ali, staid behind, having not yet received the Divine permission, as he pretended, to leave Mecca. The Koreish, fearing the consequence of this new alliance, began to think it absolutely necessary to prevent Mahomet's escape to Medina; and having held a council thereon, after several milder expedients had been rejected, they came to a resolution that he should be killed; and agreed that a man should be cho

this great passiveness and mode-
ration seem entirely owing to his
want of power, and the great supe-
riority of his opposers, for the
first twelve years of his mission;
for no sooner was he enabled, by
the assistance of those of Medina,
to make head against his enemies,
than he gave out, that God had
allowed him and his followers to
defend themselves against the in-
fidels; and at length, as his forces
increased, he pretended to have
the Divine leave even to attack
them, and destroy idolatry, and
set up the true faith by the sword; sen out of every tribe for the exe-
finding, by experience, that his cution of this design; and that
designs would otherwise proceed each man should have a blow at
very slowly, if they were not ut-him with his sword, that the guilt
terly overthrown; and knowing, of his blood might fall equally on
on the other hand, that innova-
tors, when they depend solely on
their own strength, and can com-
pel, seldom run any risk: from
whence, says Machiavel, it fol-
lows, that all the armed prophets
have succeeded, and the unarmed
ones have failed. Moses, Syrus,
Theseus, and Romulus, would knowledge; and he gave out
not have been able to establish the
observance of their institutions
for any length of time, had they
not been armed. The first passage
of the Koran which gave Maho-
met the permission of defending
himself by arms is said to have
been that in the twenty-second
chapter; after which, a great
number to the same purpose were
revealed.

Mahomet, having provided for the security of his companions, as well as his own, by the league of

all the tribes, to whose united power the Hashemites were much inferior, and therefore durst not attempt to revenge their kinsman's death.

This conspiracy was scarce formed, when, by some means or other, it came to Mahomet's

that it was revealed to him by the angel Gabriel, who had now ordered him to retire to Medina. Whereupon, to amuse his enemies, he directed Ali to lie down in his place, and wrap himself up in his green cloak, which he did; and Mahomet escaped miraculously, as they pretend, to Abu Becr's house, unperceived by the conspirators, who had already assembled at the prophet's door. They, in the mean time, looking through the crevice, and seeing Ali, whom they took to be Maho- || them, began to send out small met himself, asleep, continued parties to make reprisals on the watching there till morning, when Koreish; the first party consisting Ali arose, and they found themselves deceived.

i

of no more than nine men, who
intercepted and plundered a cara-
van belonging to that tribe, and
in the action took two prisoners.
But what established his affairs
very much, and was the founda-
tion on which he built all his suc-
ceeding greatness, was the gain-
ing of the battle of Bedr, which
was fought in the second year of
the Hegira, and is so famous in
the Mahometan history.
reckon no less than twenty-seven
expeditions, wherein Mahomet

Some

From Abu Becr's house Mahomet and he went to a cave in mount Thur, to the south east of Mecca, accompanied only by Amor Ebn Foheirah, Abu Becr's servant, and Abdallah Ebn Oreitah, an idolater whom they had hired for a guide. In this cave they lay hid three days, to avoid the search of their enemies; which they very narrowly escaped, and not without the assistance of more miracles than one; for some say that the was personally present, in nine of Koreish were struck with blind-which he gave battle, besides seness, so that they could not find the cave; others, that, after Mahomet and his companions were got in, two pigeons laid their eggs at the entrance, and a spider covered the mouth of the cave with her web, which made them look no farther. Abu Becr seeing the prophet in such imminent danger, became very sorrowful; whereupon Mahomet comforted him with these words, recorded in the Koran; Be not grieved, for God is with us. Their enemies being retired, they left the cave, and set out for Medina by a by-road; and having fortunately, or, as the Mahometans tell us, miraculously, escaped some who were sent to pursue them, arrived safely at that city; whither Ali followed them in three days, after he had settled some affairs at Mecca.

Mahomet, being securely settled at Medina, and able not only to defend himself against the insults of his enemies, but to attack

veral other expeditions in which he was not present. His forces he maintained partly by the contributions of his followers for this purpose, which he called by the name of zacat, or alms, and the paying of which he very artfully made one main article of his religion; and partly by ordering a fifth part of the plunder to be brought into the public treasury for that purpose, in which matter he likewise pretended to act by the Divine direction.

In a few years by the success of his arms, notwithstanding he sometimes came off with the worst, he considerably raised his credit and power. In the sixth year of the Hegira he set out with 1400 men to visit the temple of Mесса, not with any intent of committing hostilities, but in a peaceable manner. However, when he came to Al Hodeibiya, which is situated partly within and partly without the sacred territory, the