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QII’ifit
‘
dI fi xuminmfi uu
THE LI FE AND TEACHI NGS
MOHAMMED,
SYED AMEER ALL
'
MOULVI , M .A . ,LLB .
Of the I n n er Tem ple, Ban'
r i ster-at-Law,
MEMBER OF THE R OYAL ASI AT I C SO CI ETY ;
MEMBER O F THE COUNC I L OF THE EAST I ND I A ASSOCI AT I ON, ETC .
Sakh u n kaz bahr d i n gox che I brém i ché Su ryatfi ,
Mali an kaz bahr Hak jol ché Jfibalké. ch é Jzi balsfi .
”
What m atters i t whe ther the words thou u tterest for re l igio nare Hebrew o r Syrian ; or whe ther the place i n which thou seeke stfor Tru th is Jabalké or Jfibalsfi .
”—Sa n é i .
W I L L I AM S A N D N O R G AT E,
1 4, HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN,LONDON ;
AND 2 , SOUTH FREDERICK STREET ,ED INBURGH.
1 8 73 ,
All Ri ghts r eserved .
2;
T H I S B O O K ,
WH ICH I HAD HOPED TO INSCRIBE TO MY BROTHER ,
SYED WARI S ALI KHAN BAHA’
DOOR,
or ARRAH,
THE GUARD IAN OF MY YOUTH,
THE DEAREST FRIEND OF WHOLE LIFE,
I N OW S O R R OW F U L L Y D E D I C A T E
0150 his hzlaheh m em atg .
C O N T EN T S .
PREFACE pag e v .
CHAPTER I .
Bactr ia (Balkh) s u pposed to be th e origi n al seat of the hu m a n
race—Fe ti shi sm a n d Pa n the i sm —The Eastern Aryans are
drive n across th e Hind u Ku sh i n to In d ia—The Eastern Aryansi n I n dia—The i r grad u al degradatio n —The ri se of Poly the
i sm—The We stern Aryan s or Ira n i an s—The ir i n term ixtu rew i th the Tu ran ia n s - The ir degradation — The Reform s of
Zoroaster—Short- l ive d—Mazdak preaches com m u n i sm The
Jews, the ir co n di tion —The Christi an s , the i r fa ll i n g o ff from the irMa ster ’s teachi n gs—Their law le ss n e ss—The l ’re - i slam i te A rabs—Idola try—The charac ter of the folklore am o n g them .
page 1 to 2 5 .
CHAPTER II .
B i rth of Moham m ed—Hi s early l i fe—The wars of the Fijar—Hi sexalte d character procu re s h im the ti tle of al—A m i n —l lis m ar
ri ag e w i th Khad ija—Hi s passi o n for sol i tu de—Hi s com m u n i on w i ththe God of Tru th—The daw n i n gs of tru th on h i s m i n d—Mohamm e d’s m i ssio n —The e arly Moslem s—Perse c u ted by th e Kore i shThe Idolaters e n deavou r to tem pt Moham m ad—F l ight of the Moslem s to Abyssi n ia—The speech of Jafar before the Neg u s—Dea thof Abfi Taleb an d Kh ad ij a . 13 . 26 to 5 3 .
CHAPTER III .
Redou bled persec u ti on of th e Mosle rn s by the Kore i sh— Moham m edproceeds to Tayef—Is drive n ou t of the c i ty w i th ou trage s—Re tu r n sto Mecca—Con fi n es h i s pre achi n g to stran ge rs—Tho first co n vertsam on g the Medi n i tes—The first Pledge—Gra n de u r of Moham
x i i CON TENTS .
m ed ’s character—Th e V i s io n of the A sce n sio n —Seco n d PledgeThe Kore i sh propose to m u rder Moham m ed- The Fl ight ofMoham m ed to Medi n a (Ya threb) . p . 5 4 to 67 .
The Moham m eda n year, n otes I . a n d II . p . 6 7
CHAPTER IV
Moham m ed a t Med i n a—The A n sar an d Mu haj eri n —The first m osqu eoi Islam —Love a n d chari ty i n cu lcated by Moham m ed . p . 68 to 72 .
CHAPTER V .
The charte r of Moham m ed—The liberal i ty of i ts con ceptio n s—Thea n im os i ty of th e Je w s —Th e hos t i l i ty of the Kore i sh—They m akepreparatio n s to attack a n d ove rwhe lm the Moslem s—T he reconn oi tr i n g exped i tio n of Abd u llah i bn Jahsh—T he ba ttle of Bed rThe defea t of the Idola ters p . 73 to 8 5
Co n ceptio n of a n ge ls a n d d ew ls i n Islam a n d Chr i stia n i ty .
Note I . p . 8 6
The story ofMoham m ed ’s b itter reply to Okba, apocrypha l .Note
CHAPTER VI .
The ba ttle of Bcd r com pared to the ba ttle of the M ilvia n B ridgeThe Idolaters bu r n for reve n ge—They m a rch u po n Med i n a—T hebattle of Ohod—The defeat of the Moslem s—T he Idola ters barbarou sly m u ti late the Moslem dead—Th e Moslem s i n exorablyforbidde n to offer a n y d i sre spect to th e e n em i e s ’ dead—Th eIdolaters t reacherou sly m assacre a large body of Moslem s a t Bi rMa i m a—The Jews—The i r hosti li ty—The Ba n i -Ka i n u ka—The i rexpu l s ion —Th e Ban i -Nadh i r
,the i r trea che ry—The i r ba n i shm e n t
—A n othe r coal i tio ’
n aga i n s t the Moslem s —Th e be leagu erm e n t ofMed i n a—The Ba n i -Ku ra i z ha , the i r defectio n —The e n em y ra i sethe si eg e—The Ku ra i z ha, the ir pu n ishm e n t—Note s . p . 8 9 to 1 14 .
CHAPTER VII .
The ge n erosi ty of Moham m ed towards h i s e n em i es—The peace .of
H u de iba—The te i m s of the trea ty- Em bass ie s to the n e ighbo
i n g sovere ig n s —No te s . p . 1 1 5 to 1 2 5 .
CONTENTS . x i i i
CHAPTER VIII .
The Jews sti r u p fre sh hosti li ti es—Th e exped i tion agai n st Kha ibarThe Jew s su e for forgi ve n e ss—The term s of pardo n The pi l
gr im age of accom pl i shm e n t —The expedi tio n to Mu ta to ave n geth e m u rder of the Moslem e n voy by the Greeks—The v iola tion of
the Treaty of H u de iba by the Mecca n s—The Moslem s m arch top u n i sh them - The trea tm e n t of the Mecca n s by Moham m ed—TheBedou i n s prepare to a ttack the Moslem s—The ir defeat—Li berationof the Bedou i n pri son ers by Moham m ed . p . 1 26 to 137 .
CHAPTER IX .
The n i n th year of th e Hej ira The year of d epu tation s — Ru m ou rsof a Byza n ti n e a ttack u po n A rabia—A Mosle m arm y i s m archedtowards th e fro n ti ers—Th e m artyrdom of Orwa an d th e su bm i ssio nof the Tay efi te s
—K i n d treatm e n t of the dau ghter of Hati m —Th epi lgrim age of Ab il Bakr—Ali com m i ssm n ed by th e Prophe t to reada proclam ation to th e p i lgri m s proh ib i ti n g th e Idola ters from ap
proach i n g the Kaaba—The reaso n s for the prohi bi tio n —Ex am in a tio n of Sir W . Mu i r’ s asserti on that Moham m ed hav i n g so lon gdece ived the Jews an d Chri stian s n ow fi n al ly parted from them .
”
13 . 138 to 1 46 .
CHAPTER X .
Ten th year of the HeJi ra—Com ple tion ofMoham m ed ’s m i ssion —The
greatn ess of h i s work -The su periori ty of Moham m ed as a m ora lte ac her—The farewe ll p i lgri m age—The serm o n of Moham m edLa st year of the Prophe t’s life—Death of the Prophe t—His character . p . 1 47 to 1 5 8 .
CHAPTER XI .
Si g n ifi cation of the word Islam —Pri n cipal base s of the Islam i c law s—Idea of Godhead am on g the pre -i slam i te Arabs—Am on g th e
Jews - The ir i dolatrou s ve n eration for Moses a n d Ezra—The worshi p of the Teraphim am o n g the Jews—The idea of Godheadam on g the Chri st ian s—Mariolatry an d Chri stolatry - Mohan i m ed
x iv CONTENTS .
the apostle of the u n i ty of God—T he Kora n ic con ceptio n of the
De i ty—The Koran i c abhorre n ce of idola try i n every shape .
p . 1 5 9 150 1 7 0 .
CHAPTER XII .
Practical du ties of re lig ion i n Islam —The co n cept ion of prayerAm on g the Zoroastria n s—The Jews—The Chri stia n s - The Islam i cco n ceptio n of prayer—Islam ic con ceptio n of m oral pu ri ty—Thei n st i tu tio n of fasti n g—Am o n g the Jews an d the Chri stia n s—Them ora l con ception of fast i n g i n Islam —The con d i tio n s u n der whi cho n ly fasti n g is co n si de red obl igatory i n Islam—Asce ti c i sm ab
horre n t to Islam , as a re l igio n of Hu m a n i ty—Practi cal chari ty i nChri stian i ty—The A gapae , feasts of chari ty, or love-feasts, the i rspasm od i c character—The gra n deu r a n d be n efice n ee of the Islam i cregu lati o n s regard i n g practical cli ari ty
—a-The i n sti tu tion of pi lgrim ag e
—Its u sefu l n e ss—D i sti n ctive pecu liari ti e s of Moham m ed ’steach i n gs—U n iversal adaptab i l i ty of Islam—U n i versal chari ty ofIslam —I t com b i n e s the se n se of sin as w e ll as the se n se ofv irtu e—A lofty i deal i sm i s joi n ed to a ration ali stic practicab i li ty i nIslam —The Kora n i c su m m ary of Islam .
—Note s . p . 1 7 1 to 1 96 .
CHAPTER XIII .
A n exam i n atio n of the opi n io n that Islam was spread by the sword—Com pari so n be twee n th e wars of the early Moslem s an d the
Chri stia n s—I n tern atio n al obligatio n s u n kn own before the adven tof Moham m ed—The persecu ti n g character of the Chri sti anchu rche s—The tolera n t sp ir i t of Islam—A n exam i n ation of the
wars of the Prophe t a n d of the early Moslem s—Islam n ot ag
g re ssi ve . p . 1 9 7 to 21 6 .
CHAPTER X IV.
Polygam y—I ts origi n —Practi sed by all the n ation s of a n tiqu i tyO p i n i o n of S t. A u gu sti n e regardi n g the lawfu l n e ss of polygam yThe op i n io n of the Germ an Reform ers i n the s ixtee n th ce n tu ry—The cu stom of m on ogam y i n th e we st, how i t arose—The Islam i claw s regard i n g polygam y It i s i n d irectly forbidde n —The w i sdom
CONTENTS XV
of the Islam ic laws—Polygam y d epe n ds on ci rcu m sta n ce s—D i sappears w i th the progre ss of thou ght—The e lastici ty of the Islam i c “
laws—I ts adaptabi li ty to all stage s of deve lopm e n t—An exam i n ation of th e m arriage s of Moham m e d—The pract ice of d ivorceam o n g the n atio n s of a n tiqu i ty—The law of d ivorce as
stated by Jcsu s—The Islam ic law s regardi n g d ivorce—Am eliora
tio n effected by Islam i n the co n d i tio n of wom e n —Ch i valry i n trod u ce d by Islam —Note s . p . 2 1 6 to 248 .
CHAPTER XV .
O rig i n of slavery—D id Chr istian i ty forb i d slavery —The Islam iclaws proh ib i t slavery—S lavery abhorre n t to I sldm . p
'
. 249 to 2 62 .
CHAPTER XVI .
The i dea of a fu tu re exi ste n ce , the produ ct of a gradu al developm e n t—The idea of a fu tu re l ife am o n g the Egyptia n s—the Jew s—the A ryan s- the Zoroastrian s—The Jew i sh be l ief i n a pe rson a lMe ssiah—The g eal orig i n of thi s bel ief—The character of the
Chr i stia n trad ition s—The stro n gly deve loped i dea of a n im m e
di ate Ki n gdom of Heave n i n the m i n d of Je su s a n d the earlyd i sciple s—Paradi se a n d He ll, accordi n g to th e tradi tion al wordsof Jcsu s—The m i lle n ari an dream —How i t has d ied away—TheIslam i c con ceptio n of a fu tu re exi ste n ce—The parabol ic characterof m an y verse s of the Koran —Progre ssi ve developm e n t , a n ecess i tyof hu m an n a tu re—The Kora n i c con cept ion of pre se n t a n d fu tu rehapp i n e ss—Notes . p . 263 to 287 .
CHAPTER XVII .
The i n telle ctu al cu l tu re of the Arabs before Moham m ed—Mohamm ed u shers i n a n ag e of active pri n ciple s—Moham m ed ’s teach i n gsgive ri se to Ration al i sm The character of the su ccess iveCaliphates—Ra tio n a l i sm i n Islam —The Moslem s u n der the Ahbassi des—Fatal i sm an d Free-w i ll—The doctri n e of Free-w i ll a n dFree Age n cy, the tru e characteri sti c of Islam —The Mu tazala sthe i r doctri n e s—The Sifatiyas—The Mu tazalas occu py a van tagegrou n d as regards the n atu ral phi losophers of m odern tim esThe tri u m ph of patri sticism —The Shi as—The S u n n i s—Moslem
x v i CONTENTS .
Mysti ci sm —The Su fi s base the pract ice of m oral i ty o n LoveThe su bje ctive pan the i sm i n the We st owe s i ts Or igi n to IslamThe high posi tio n of Learn i n g i n the teach i n gs of Moham m ed .
p . 288 to 31 7 .
CHAPTER XVIII .
Th e pol i ti cal character of Islam —Islam co n secrates pol i ti cal libertyL i berate s the n ation s of the world—The Moslem s u n der th e
early Cal iphs, the Khu lafd i Rdshi d i n . p . 31 8 to 322 .
CHAPTER X I X .
Learn i n g an d Arts am o n g the Moslem s—The dedu cti ve m e thod w e llk n ow n —The phys ical sci e n ce s—The appare n t backward n ess ofthe Moslem s i n pa i n ti n g an d scu lptu re—Ge n eral li teratu re am on gth e Moslem s—The Kora n , i ts characteri sti cs—The dram a—Theach i evem e n ts of the Moslem s i n the field of i n tellect owe the irorig i n to the teach i n gs of Moham m ed fi Th e Mos lem s i n trodu ceRatio n a l i sm a n d Civi li zation i n to Eu rope—Chri stian i ty opposed toRat ion ali sm—The three great evi ls which have befa lle n hu m an i ty—The progress of the world retarded fore e n tu u
’
es—The Fu tu re .
p . 323 to 346
CHAPTER I .
I N order to appreciate thorou ghly the achievemen t
ofMohammed in the moral world, it is n ecessary we
Shou ld take a rapid su rvey of the religiou s a n d
social con dition of the n ation s of the earth abou t the
time of the Islami c di spen sation . For we mu st
fu lly recogn ise that the cau ses whi ch had led to the
adven t of the Great Prophet of Nazareth, i n the
reign of Au gu stu s,acted with greater force du r in g
the reigns of the degen erate emperors who occu
pied the throne of the Caesars,* at the period of
Mohammed’ s appearance .
In the dim twilight of hi story we see, or fan cy we
see, stra n ge figu res a n d strange scen es e n acted on
the high table land of Bactria, appropriately styled“ the mother of cou n tries . ’ T Several clan s are
gathered together on that plateau ; j u st emerged
from savageness into barbarism, they are becomi n g
Ju sti n II . ru led at Byzan ti u m an d KesraAn u shirvan at Ctesi
phon (Madai n ) .
T Arab geographers call Bactria (Balkh) Um -u l—Bi lci d , “m other of
cou n tries .”
2 RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL CONDITION
alive to the se n se of a n Un iversal Ideality I n
nu merable i deali ties are taki n g the place of the
n a tu ral objects, hi therto worshipped with fear a n d
trembli n g . With some of these an cien t dwe llers on
the earth the host of abstractio n s an d pe rson i fi ca
tion s of the powers of Na tu re are su bordin ated to
two comprehe n sive Pr i n ciple s z'
Light a n d Dark
n ess . The su n , the bright harbin ger of life a n d
light, becomes the symbol of a b e n efi ce n t Divin ity,whose power, thou gh held i n check,
“
is even
t u ally to con qu er the opposin g pri n ciple of Evil
a n d Darkn ess . With others, the idealiti es which
they n ow impress on the fetish they worshipped
before,merge in each other ; at on e time sta n din g
forth a s d istin ct perso n al e n ti ti es, a t a n other time
resolvi n g themselves i n to a hylozoic whole fi l<
Throu gh the darkn ess which yet Shrou ds this
primeval home of ma n kind, we ca n see the d im
traces of a religiou s con fliCt between the two div i
s i o n s of the Aryan family, which has left its
mark i n the deep im preca tion s heaped by the Vedic
hym n -sin ger o n the head of the half m ythi c, half
hi storical Persic hero,Djaradash ti of the Vedas, the
first Azar a n d Zard ah u sht of the Ira n ian s -
r The
western du ali stic cla n s are su ccessfu l, a n d drive
the ir half polytheistic,half pa n theistic brethre n
Com p . Talboys Whee ler, Hi st . of I n dia (Vedi c period),vol . i . p . 8 .
i“ Com p . Le n orm an t
’
s An cie n t H i st . of the East, vol . i i . p . 38 .
on THE SURROUNDING NAT IONS . 3
a cross the Par 0 pam i sadae . The darkn ess whi ch
hi the rto e n shrou ded the homes of ou r a n cestors,n ow clears a little we see the Eastern Ar ya n s bu rst
i n to In dia,drivi n g before them the black aborigi n al
races massacrin g an d e n slaving History
repeats itself stra n gely
The tide of'
Arya n co n qu est continu ed flowi n g
eastward a n d sou thward for cen tu ri es . The Aryan
colon ies were n atu rally acted u pon by the fetishism
of the races whom they con qu ered or amon g whom
they settled ; u n til at last the gross i n hu man Sakti
worshi p was produ ced on the on e ha n d, a n d the
degradin g sen su alism of Krishna on the oth er x l'
I n the parts,however
,which formed the core of the
Arya n n atio n , the thou ghts a n d feelin gs brou ght
from their n ative home con tin u ed for ages to e x er
ci se an i n flu e n ce . Bu t soo n they were to lose what
remai n ed . I n the e n j oyme n t of peace an d plen ty,cu t off from the en ergetic life of their brothers of
the West, a lways exposed to the volu ptu ou s i n
flu en ces of a morbidly fertile imagin atio n , a n d
withou t possessing a system of posi tive mora li ty
embodi ed i n effe ctu al laws,the Arya n settlers lost
the spir itu al belief of their forefathers .
They in deed obtain ed a code b u t it represen ted
the idea s whi ch preva i led i n a n ag e of gross mate
r i ali sm .
Com p . Talboys Wheeler’s History of In d ia , p . 32 .
1 I bi d , p . 39 1 , e t seq.
4 or THE HINDUS .
A revolt e n su ed, arisin g from revolu ti on ary a n d
negative i n st in cts a ctin g o n on e Hi n du mi n d . Bu t
Bu ddhi sm, with all its gra n d a spiratio n s, n ever
prete n ded to be a relig io n . E ssen tially adapted
td the reclu se, it never a cqu ired a tan gible hold
on the masses ; an d its fai lu re u nder the most
favou rable circu mstan ces sealed its fate in In dia a s
a religiou s
On the expu lsi o n of Bu ddhism from Hin du sta n,
Brahma n ism regain ed its su premacy . The temples
became the hau n ts of debau chery a n d crime s . I m
morali ty was sa n ctio n ed by religio n . The demon s
of destru ctio n a n d lu st became the two favou ri te
objects of popu lar worship . The revolti n g orgi es of
Ashtaroth a n d Moloch were en acted, u n der other
n ames a n d aspects .
So mu ch for the religiou s life of the people .
The social life of the masses w as miserable b e
yo n d con ception . The condition of woma n , eve n
d u rin g that vagu e a n d mythi c period which pa sse s
u n der the n ame of the Vedic ag e , was n ot so favou r
able as some wri ters on In dia wou ld fa i n represe n t
to u s n ow . She formed the prize i n gamblin g a n d
feats of athle t ics x l She was the dru dge of the hou se,
Com p . Hu n ter, An n als of Ru ral Be n gal, i n loco , an d a lso m yle tters sign e d Alpha” °
i n The Asi ati c,” on the d i ffere n ce betwee n Bu ddh i sm an d Brahm an i sm ; also, Whee ler, Hi st . of I n di a,vol . i . pp . 1 5 8 , 1 5 9 .
Com p . La Fem m e da n s l ’I n de A n tiqu e , par Mlle . Bader, p . 8 6 ,
a n d Whee ler’s Hi st . of In dia, vol . i . pp . 1 78 - 1 82 .
or THE PERSIANS . 5
a n d had to accept as many hu sba n ds as there were
brothers i n the family . Bu t Sh e arrived at the
depth of degradati o n u n der Brahma n ic domin atio n .
The co n tempt with which the Brahman ic legi slator
speaks of women, a n d the complete servitu de to
which he su bjects them are astou nding beyon d
expression .*
I n de scribing the religiou s conditi on of Persia,the empire of the great Chosroe s, we have to e n ter
in to more minu te details . The proximity of the
cou n try to the birthplace of Islam an d the powerfu l
in flu en ce it has always exercised on Mahommedan
thou ght,n ot to spe ak of the character a n d ton e i t
commu n icated to Chri stia n ity a n d Ju daism, make
Persia a most important object of stu dy .
The Arya n race had Spli t in to two section s by
the m i gration of on e bran ch across the Paropam
i sadae ; a n d of the other, towards the great settle
men ts of their Semitic brethren .
Thon i ssen , l’Hi stoire d u Droi t Crim i n el d es Peu ples A n ci e n s
(Pari s , vol . i . p . 27 , n ote .
Observe a lso the variou s ord i n a n ces of the Brahm an i c legi slatoron thi s su bj ect . Wom e n ,
” say s Man u ,“ love the ir be ds, the i r
seats, the ir orn am e n ts they have im pu re appe ti te s ; they lovew rath they show weak flexibi li ty an d bad con du ct. D ay an d n ightw om e n m u st be kept i n su bjection .
”—Tytler’s Con sideration s on th e
State of I n dia , vol . i . p . 237 .
A lso,La Fem m e dan s l ’I n de A n tiqu e , i n loco .
A s to th e con di tion of the low caste s, Su dra , Par iahs, &c . , a m ere
gla n ce over th e pag es of Thon issen’
s sple n did work i s e n ou gh to fi llo n e w i th di sgu st .
6 or THE PERSIANS .
As i n the Eastern bra n ch, so also amo n g the
Western Ar ya n s,th e idea of divin ity had acqu i red a
of con si sten cy a n d defi n i ten ess,probably
u n der the ha n ds of seme heaven -I n spired geniu s .
The same influ en ces, however, which led to the
degradation of the In do-Aryans, were rife am o n g
the Ira n ian s . They had either displaced or su b
j u gated the old Tu rania n tribes who had preceded
them i n the work of colo n iz ation,a n d the extreme
materialism of these Tu ra n ian s did n ot fail to de
grade the yet u n developed i deali sm of their Iran i an
neighbou rs . The frequ e n t con tact of th e followers
of Afrasiab an d Kai -kart s, in the field a n d the hall,exerci sed a la stin g effect on the Persic faith . The
complex system of celesti al co-ordin ati o n which
w as prevalen t amo n g the also left its
mark o n the Ira n ian s, u n der the domin ation of the
Pe shdad ian or Perso-Assyrian sovereign s . Un de r
these i n flu ences, the Western Arya n s soo n fou n d
the level of their neighbou rs . The symbolical
Com p . Rawli n so n , Five Great Mon archi es of the An ci e n tWorld , vol . i i . pp . 230 -234 a lso the cu riou s tra n slatio n of an
Assyrian i n scripti on i n Le n orm a n t’
s A n c . H i story of the East,vol . i .
p . 42 . A ccordi n g to Profe ssor Raw li n son a n d other great scholars,the Assyr ia n s seem to have at first en tertai n ed a di sti n ct idea of acele stial hi erarchy, alm ost ri si n g to a m on othe i sti c con ception (Rawl i n son , vol . i i . p . 23 e t seq . Le n orm a n t, vol . i . p . I f
so,the depravation of ideas whi ch re su l ted from m ater ial progre ss
a n d co n tact w i th i n ferior race s, m u st have led to the revolt of Abra
ham .
8 OF THE PERSIANS .
its professors, the absen ce of all esoteric feelings,which is n eedfu l for a n u n iversal creed . The swarms
of co n qu erors, who passed like a whirlwi n d over
the face of tha t beau tifu l cou n try before the time
of Mohammed,destr oyed all social a n d moral life .
The Macedon i an conqu est with the motley hordes
which followed on its footsteps ; the in flu x of all
the dregs of Lesser Asia,Cilicians, Tyria n s, Pam
phylian s, an d variou s others, half Greeks half
Asian s, obeyi n g no moral law the hasty a n d reck
less temper of the co n qu eror himself, all led to the
debasement of the pu re Zoroastrian fa i th . The
Mob e ds , the represen tatives of the natio n al life,were placed u nder the ban of persecu tion by the
dru n ken foreigner,* the aim of whose li fe was to
hellen ize Asia . Un der the Seleu cidae, the process
of den ationalization went on apace . Antio'
chu s
Epiphan e s, the m an who hated the monotheistic
Jews, was not likely to allow the idealistic Zoroas
tr ia n s to remain i n peace . Even the ri se of the
Parthi an dynasty te n ded to accelerate the ru in an d
decli n e of Zoroastria n ism . In settled a n d qu iet parts
The bu rn i n g of Su sa by Alexan der th e Macedon ian , after a
dru n ke n orgi e , led to the de s tru ction of the re l igiou s works ofPers ia,whi ch accordi n g to Tabari (Tibri ) a n d Aha-Moham m ed Mu stafa
(au thor of a h i story of Gu sh tasp, Dari u s Hystaspes) u sed to be depos i ted i n the royal archive s of Su sa an d Persepoli s also I b n -al
Ath i r, vol . i . p . 1 82 . A s to the cru e l character ofAlexan der, com p .
Ki tab-Tari kh-San n i Mu liI k -u l-Ardh (An n als of the Sovere ig n s of
the Earth), by Ham za I spha han i , Ar p . 4 1 Lat . p . 28 .
or THE PERSIANS . 9
it became mixed with the old Sabaeism of the Medes
a n d the Chaldean s, or, where kept alive i n i ts pri s
tin e character, i t was co n fin ed to the hearts of some
of those priests who had taken refu ge in the i n ac
cessible recesses of their cou n try . Last sad r epre
se n tat ive s of a dyin g faith ! Arou n d them clu stered
the hopes of a ren ovated religiou s exi sten ce u n der
the au spices of the Sassa n ide dyn asty . How far the
brilli a n t a spiration s of Ard i sh’
i r Babekan (AI-ta
xerxes Lon g im a n u s) the fou n der of the n ew empire,were realized i s a matter of hi story . The poli tical
a u ton omy of Persi a, i ts n ati on al life, was restored ;b u t the soci al a n d reli gi ou s life were lost beyon d the
power of ru lers to restore . The teachi n gs of yore
lived perhaps i n books b u t in the hearts of the
people,they were a s dead as old Gu shtasp or
Ru stam . The degradation w as already complete
when Artaxerxes Mn é m on (Bahman Ardi sh i r*) i n
trod u ced amo n g the Persia n s the worship of that
a n drogyn ou s bei n g Mi thra, the Persian cou n terpart
of the Chaldean Mylitta or An aitis, a n d the con com i
tan t phalli c cu ltu s sl' The climax w as reached when
Mazdak, i n the begin n in g of the sixth ce n tu ry of the
Chri sti an e ra bade all m e n to be partn ers i n ri ches
a n d wome n,ju st as they are i n fire, water a n d grass
Tarikh -i -Ham za I sphahan i , p . 46 ; I bn -al-A thi r (vol . i i . p . 28 5 )
a n d the Habib -u s-Siyar . A rtaxerxe s M n em on was the brother ofCyru s the you n ger, the hero ofXe n opho n .
TLe n orm an t, A n ci e n t Hi st. of the East, vol . 11 . pp . 45 , 46 .
1 0 or THE PERSIANS .
private property wa s not to exist ; each m a n was
to en joy or e n du re the good a n d bad lo ts of thi s
world .
’ The lawfu ln ess of marriage wi th si sters a n d
other blood-re lation s had already been recog n i se d
by Mago-Zoroa stria n ism . 1 The proclamati on of this
frightfu l comm u n ism revolted some of the n obler
mi n ds,even amo n g the Persia n s . The su ccessor
of Zoroa ster, a s Mazdak styled himself,was pu t to
death ; b u t his doctrin es had taken root, a n d from
Persia they spread over the Wesh iAl l these evils betoke n ed a frightfu l depravati on
of moral life an d foreshadowed the speedy extine
tio n of the n atio n i n its ow n i n i qu ities . This doom,
thou gh staved off for a time by the person al cha
ract e r of Ke srd An u shirvan , after hi s death became
more an d more in evitable . Bu t a Master had
a lready appeared, destin ed to cha n ge the whole
a spect of the world .
The serie s of disasters which on e after a n other
had be fallen the doomed n ati o n of Moses had cu l
m i n ated i n the wars of Titu s a n d of Hadrian . §
i f D abi stan (E n gli sh Tran sl . ) Prel . D i scou rse, p . civ . com p . a lso
I bn -al -Athi r, vol . i . p . 1 48 ; Tabari (Zote n berg'
s vol . i i .
p. 148 Habi b -u s-Siyar, an d Malcolm ’s H i s t . of Pers ia, p . 1 0 4 .
t As am o n g the a n ci e n t Egyptia n s .
j: G ibbon , Decli n e an d Fall of the Rom a n Em p ire , vol . i v. chap .
xl i i . p . 8 8 a n d n ote .
Be s ide s the Chri stian hi stor i an s a n d Jcseph u s, I m ay refer the
cu r iou s to l b n -al-Athi r, vol . i . p . 229 Tarikh-i -Ham za I sphahan i ,pp . 72-73 .
or THE JEWS . 1 1
The hou se of Israel was a total wreck i ts members
were fu gitives o n the face of the earth,seeki n g
shelter far a n d wide, b u t carryi n g everywhere the i r
i n domitable prid e, their rebelli ou s hardn ess of
heart, den ou n ced a n d reprehen ded by a n e n dless
su ccession of Prophets . The Jews,i n their safe
retreats in foreign lan ds, re -e n acted the scen es of
past t im e s fi l< The n ation lived i n hope, b u t the hope
w as m ixed with rigi d u n compromisi n g bigotry on
the on e han an d a volu ptu ou s epicu rea n i sm on the
other . Jesu s had come a n d gon e , wi thou t pro
d u ci n g mu ch visible effect u pon them . The Chi ld
of h i s ag e , he came as the messen ger of u n i
versal brotherhood a n d love . I n the mi dst of a
prou d an d exclu sive race,he trod the paths of
hu mili ty a n d m ildn ess; ki n d a n d gen tle to h i s imme
diate followers, devoted to the cau se of all, he left
behin d h im the impress of an elevated self-de n yi n g
spiri t . The wan t of firmn ess su ch a s had e n abled
Mose s to strike aw e i n to the hearts of a back
slidi n g rebelliou s race, made Jesu s a victim to the
ven gean ce of the vested i n terests of hi s d ay .
The greate st an d by far the most gifted of th e
di sciples of Jesu s, was Pau l . I n Spi te of the promi se
a ttache d to the effu sion of the Holy Ghost, i t w as
The sce n e s of rioti n g i n the streets of Alexan dria m u st befam i l iar to every re ader of Ki n gsley’ s Hypatia . Bu t i n the se case sthe Chr istian s were the aggre ssors . A be tter exam ple i s affordedby the hi story of the Jew i sh tribe s i n Arabia .
fou n d n ecessary that there Shou ld be “ some on e
defen der of the Gospel who, versed i n the learn ed
arts, m ight be able to combat the Jewish doctors an d
the pagan philosophers w ith their own arms . For
this pu rpose Jesu s himself, by a n extraordin ary voice
from heaven , had called to His service a thirteen th
apostle,whose n ame was Sau l (afterwards Pau l ), a n d
whose acqu ai n ta n ce both w ith Jewish an d Grecian
learn i n g w as very con siderable,’ in which the other
apostles were sadly wa n tin g . St . Pau l in deed di d
wo n ders for the Christi an Chu rch . He in fu sed in to
the simple teachi n gs of his Master the most mys
t er iou s prin ciples of Ne opythag orean i sm , with i ts
doctri n e of i n telligen ces, a n d its n otio n of the triad,borrowed from the far East .
The jealou sy between the home a n d the foreign ,the Ju da i cal an d the a n ti-Ju daical party
, was
show n i n the cu riou s thou gh well-kn own a n tipathy
of the two Apostles,Peter a n d Pau lsl The Eb ion
ites most probably represen ted the beli efs of the
or igi n al compa n i o n s of the prophet Jesu s . He
had con versed with them fami liarly, a n d i n all
the acti on s of ratio n al a n d a n ima l life,”had ap
peare d to them a s of the same n atu re as them
selves . They had marked him grow from i n fa n cy
to you th a n d from you th to man hood ; they had
see n him in crease i n statu re a n d wi sdom . Thei r
Moshe i n i , Ecclesiasti cal H i story, vol . i . p . 63 .
j' Mil n er
,H i st . of the Chu rch of Chri s t, vol . i . pp 26 , 2
OF THE CHRISTIANS . 13
belief was tempered by thei r k n owledge of h im as a
m a n . The depravati o n of i de as from this origi n al
fa i th, throu gh vari ou s i n termediate phases like those
of the Docetes,the Marci o n ites
,the Patr ipassi a n s
>l<
a n d variou s others, to the d ecisio n s of the Cou n ci l
of Nice i n 328, form a con ti n u ou s chain . The
stra n gers who had n ever beheld the man hood,cou ld
easily embrace the divi n ity of Jesu s,to whi ch ,
whether polytheists or phi losophers,Greeks or Bar
bar ian s, they were alre ady predisposed by thei r
belief,i n aeo n s an d ema n atio n s .
With the appare n t co n versio n of Co n stan ti n e,Christi anity became the domin a n t power i n th e
Roman Empi re . The fate of pagan ism w as sealed .
Its down fall, thou gh staved off for a time by the
greatest a n d most sin cere of the Roman emperors,had become in evitable . “ After the exti n cti o n of
pagan ism,
” says Gibbon, the Chri stia n s, i n peace
a n d pi ety,mi ght have e n joyed their soli tary tri u mph .
Bu t the pr in ciple of di scord was alive i n the ir
bosom,
an d they were more soli ci tou s to ex
plore the n atu re tha n to practise the laws of their
fou n der . ’ 1‘
The Doce te s beli eved Je su s to be a pu re God . The Marcio n i tesregarded him as a be i n g m os t like u n to God, eve n hi s Son Jesu sChri st, clothed w i th a certa i n shadowy resem bla n ce of a body, thathe m ight thu s be v i s ible to m orta l eye s .” Th e Patripassian sbeli eved that the Father su ffered w i th the Son on the cross . (Moshe im a n d G ibbon , i n loco . , an d Nean der , vol . i i . pp . 1 5 0 , 30 1 ct seq . )
1 G ibbon . Decli n e an d Fall of the Rom an Em p i re , vol . iv . chap .
48, p. 328 .
14 or THE CHRI STIANS .
We have n o he art to e n ter in to the deta ils of their
i n testi n e qu arre ls their m u rd e rsf i< their ma ssacre s
the fu lsome n ess of the la n gu age i n which they
wra n gled abou t the natu re of their great Teacher,a n d of his mother ; the terrible de n u n ciatio n s they
heaped o n each other ; we have no heart to
dilate u pon the dark deeds practised i n the cou rt of
Byza n tiu m u nder the sa n cti on of the Chu rch ; n or
is there a n y n eed to do m ore tha n merely direct
the attentio n to the qu arrels of the monophysites
a n d the mon othelites, or to the qu estio n s that rent
the Christian world with the darkest of all passio n s,
the passion which a n imates all mo n opolists, whether
spiritu al or temporal . Su fli ce it for u s to give a
su mmary of the Christian ity of those days i n the
words of an apologist a n d a Christian .
“ The Bishop of Co n stan tinople was the passive
victim,the hu mble slave, or the factiou s adversary
of the Byza n tin e Emperor : rarely exercised a lofty
moral co n trol u pon his despoti sm . The lower
clergy,whatever their more secret b e n eflce n t or
sa n ct ifyi n g workin gs on society, had su fli ci e n t power,wealth a n d ran k, to tempt ambitio n or to degrade
The m u rder of the best, the ge n tlest a n d on e of the m ost beau ti ~
fu l wom e n of the a n ci e n t world,by a m a n who bears the n am e of
sa i n t i n Chri ste n dom ,a n d who has fou n d an apologi st (see Ki n gs
ley’s Hypat i a) i n m odern ti m e s, i s the darke st blot on Chri stian i ty .
The e loqu e n t pages of Draper (Hi st . of the In te llectu al Deve lopm e n t
of Eu rope , vol . i . pp . 31 0 -3 14) offer a gloriou s tribu te to the m emoryof the m artyred Hypati a .
Parthia n s an d the Rom an s an d then by the Per .
s ian s a n d the Byzan tin es, prese n ted a scen e of u tter
desolatio n . The moral mi sery of the people was
s u rpassed by their social ru in . The followers of
Jesu s,in stead of alleviatin g, inte n sifi ed the evil .
Mago-Zoroastria n ism combating with a degraded
Chri stia n ity i n Mae sopotam i a ; the Nestorians e n
g aged in deadly co n flict with the orthodox party,the earlier con tests of Mon ta n u s a n d the prophet
esses, had co n verted Western Asia into a frightfu l
Aceldama .
The whirlwinds of con qu est which had passed over
Africa ; the massacres, the mu rders, the lawlessn ess
of the professors a n d teachers of the Christian reli
gion, had destroyed every spark of moral life in
Egypt a n d in the African provi n ces of the decay
i n g empire . In Eu rope the co n ditio n of the people
was, if possible, even more miserable . I n broad d ay,u n der the eyes of the min isters of religio n a n d the
people, Narses, the benefactor of his cou n try, was
bu rn t ali ve i n the market-place of Con stan ti n ople fi l<
In the streets of Rome, u nder the ey es of the
Exarch, the partisa n s of rival bishops waged war,an d delu ged chu rches with the blood of Chris
tians . 1
Gibbon , Decli n e an d Fall of the Rom an Em p i re,vol . i v . chap . 46
,
p . 30 3 .
TChri stian sen tim e n tal i sts can n ot fi n d words su ffi ci e n tly stro n g toexpre s s the ir horr or at the prese n ce of a Moslem i n the ci ty of Con
or THE ARABS . 1 7
The Jews, chased su ccessively from their n ative
hom e s by the Assyrians,the Greeks a n d the Roma n s,
had fou n d amon g the Arabs safety a n d protection .
Bu t they had brou ght with their religi on the bitter
spirit of strife whi ch had cau sed perhaps the greater
porti o n of their misfortu n es . Th e Nestoria n s an d
the Jacobite Christians had also fou n ded colon ies in
Arabia . The deadly rivalry between these two
creeds to dominate over Arabia occasi o n ed san gu i
n ary wars i n the most fertile provi n ce s fil< Magi sm
a n d Sabaeism had also their represen tatives among
the Arabs, a n d especially amon g the Himyarites .
Bu t the majority of the people were addicted to
feti shism of the grossest type . An imals a n d plan ts,the gazelle, the horse, the camel, the palm-tree
,in or
g an i c matter like pieces of rock, ston es, &c . formed
the principal objects of adoratio n . The idea of a.
Su preme Divi n ity, however, w as n ot u n recogn ised
bu t its influ en ce was confin ed to an in appreciable
stan t i n e the hypocri te . They wou l d rather see a Narses bu rn t i nthe m arke t-place of Con stan ti n ople they wou ld rather see a n
em peror an d hi s fam i ly,w ife a n d i n n oce n t chi ldre n pu t to death
w i th frightfu l tor tu re s they wou ld rather see a pu re wom a n torn top iece s by how li n g m on ks i n th e s tree ts of A le x an dri a, than see a
qu ie t stai d Mahom m eda n r u lejthe pollu ted c i ty of Phocas a n d Theo
dora .
I bn -al-Ath i r, vol . i . p . 30 8,et seq.
G i bbon , Decl i n e an d Fall of the Rom an Em pire , vol . i v . pp . 1 1 4,
1 1 5 Cau ssi n de Perceval, Hi st . des Arabes, vol . i . pp . 1 28-131 .
C
1 8 or THE PRE-ISLAMITE ARABS .
few who, escapin g from the bondage of idolatry,betook themselves to a philosophical scepticism
more or less tin ged wi th the legen dary notio n s,religiou s an d secu lar, of their n eighbou rs the Sa
bea n s, the Jews, or the Christian s . Amon g these,some distinctly recogn i sed the co n ception of a
s u preme Godhead,* an d, revolti n g at the gross
m aterialism of their d ay, wa ited patien tly for the
appearance of a Deliverer who, they felt convinced
in their hearts, wou ld soon appear .
Whether the introdu ction of idolatry in Mecca was
late-l or ancient is wholly irrelevan t to the qu estio n .
The broad fact remai n s that idolatry was d eep
rooted among the Arabs .
Hu man sacrifices were frequ ent . Each tribe had
its particular idols an d particu lar temple s ; a n d
often there u sed to arise sangu i n ary co n flicts b e
tween the followers or the worshippers of riva l
tem ple s i Bu t the prestige of the Kaaba stood
u n impeached amon g all . § Even the Jews a n d the
Sabeans sen t offerin gs there . The cu stody of thi s
The n u m ber a n d gen erally‘
the i n flu en ce of these have bee ncarefu lly collected by Spre n ger, Ban d I . p . 13
,et seq.
, to show tha tIslam exi sted before Moham m ed j u st i n the way , I shou ld say , as
Chri sti an i ty exi ste d before Je su s .
1‘ Com p . Shahrastan i , p . 430 . (Cu reton ’s Ed . )
1 Le n orm an t , An c . H i story of the East, vol . 11 . pp . 323 an d 35 0 ;
Shahrastan i , p . 431 .
Cau ssi n de Perceval, Hi stoire des Arabes, vol . i . p . 269 -270 .
or THE PRE-ISLAMITE ARABS . 19
temple was an object of great jealou sy amo n g the
tribes, as it co n ferred o n the cu stodia n s the most
ho n ou rable fu n ctio n s a n d pr ivileges i n the sight of
the Arabs . At the time of Mohammed’ s birth,this
honou r w as possessed by his family, a n d his grand
father was the venerable chief of the theocratic
commonwealth which was constitu ted rou n d the
Kaaba .
S u ch was the moral a n d religiou s con dition of the
Arabs . Neither Christian ity nor Ju daism had su c
ce ed ed in raisin g them in the scale of hu manity .
After five centu ri es of Christian evan geli sation ,”
says Mu i r,
“ we can point to b u t a sprin kli n g here
a n d there of Christian s —the Ban i Harith of Najran ; the Ba n i Ha n i fa of Yem am a some of the
Ban i Tay at Tayma a n d hardly a n y more . Ju dai sm,
vastly more powerfu l, had exhibited a spasmodi c
e ffort of proselyti sm u n der D z u Nowas ; b u t , as a n
a ctive agen t,the Jewish Fa i th was
n o lo n ger Operative . In fi n e , viewed thu s i n a reli
g iou s a spect, the su rface of Arabia had bee n n e w
a n d then gen tly rippled by the feeble efforts of
Chri sti an i ty the stern er in flu en ces of Ju dai sm had
b'
er
en occa si o n ally vi sible i n a deeper a n d more
trou bled cu r ren t ; b u t the tide of i n dige n ou s idolatry
a n d of Ishmaeli te su persti ti on,setti n g from every
qu arter wi th a n u nbroken a n d u n ebbi n g su rge
towards the Kaaba, gave ample eviden ce that the
C 2
20 or THE PRE-I SLAMITE ARABS .
fa ith an d worship of Mecca held the Arab mind in
a. thraldom,rigorou s a n d u n dispu ted .
”
Politically, the divis ion s an d j ealo u sies of the
tribes, combin ed with the a n tagon istic feelin gs
which ac tu ated on e again s t the other from religiou s
a n d rac e-differe n ces , had enabled the Assyrian s,the Babylonians, the Greeks, the Persians a n d the
Abyssin ian s to become ma sters of vari ou s provin ces
in the North,i n the East
,a n d i n the Sou th-West .
The Abyssin ian s had even gone so far as to in vade
Hijaz w ith the in tention of destroying the n atio n al
temple . Bu t their power w as broke n before Mecca
by the stu rdy patriotism of Abd-u l -Mu ttalib . After
twe n ty years’ oppressio n , they were driven ou t of
Yemen by a n ative prin ce, the ce lebrated Saif, son
of Dhu ’ l-ye z e n ,with the assistan ce of Persia . On
his a ssa ssin atio n by the Christian s, the sovereig n ty
he had enjoyed u n der the au spi ces of the great
An fi sh irvan pas sed e n tirely into Persian hands, a n d
Yeme n became tribu tary to Persia -
r
Besides the direct domi n ation which the rival
emp ires of Co n sta n tin ople a n d Ctesipho n exercised
over the variou s provi n ces of Arabi a, two of the
greatest Chieftain s, the kin gs of Gha ssan a n d of
H ira,divided their allegian ce between the Caesar a n d
Mu ir, vol . i . I n trod . p . ccxxxix .
1' I b n -al-A thi r , vol . i . pp . 324
,327 Cau ssi n de Perceval, vol . i .
p . 138 et seq. Tabari (Zoten berg’
s Tran sl . ) vol. i i . pp . 2 1 7-2 18 .
or THE ‘
PRE- I SLAi I I TE ARABS . 2 ]
the Chosroe s ; a n d i n the deadly wars, profi t le ss
a n d aimless, which Persi a n a n d Byza n ti n e waged
again st each other, su ckin g ou t the li fe-blood of their
people from mere lu st of destru ctio n,thou gh often e r
the right was on the side of th e Zoroastri an than
the Chr istian,* the Ghassa n i d e an d Hi ri te stood
face to face i n hosti le array’
, or locked i n mortal com
bat .
The heterogeneou s elemen ts of whi ch the Arabian
penin su la was thu s composed gave an extremely
varied character to the folk-lore of the cou n try .
Am o n g u n cu ltu red n ati ons, the ten den cy always i s
to dress facts i n the garb of legen ds . Imagin ation
amon g them n ot o n ly le n ds e n chan tme n t to the
view, bu t mag n ifies d istant objects . An d the variety
of cu ltu re mu ltipli es legen ds, more or less based on
facts . The Hami tic colo n ies of Yemen a n d of the
sou th-west gen erally ; the tru e Semi tes’
who fol
lowed i a their footsteps, like the Arya n s i n the East ;the Jews
,the Christi a n s
,all brou ght their tradi tio n s,
their myths,their legen ds with them . I n the
cou rse of ages, these relics of the Past acqu ired a
con si ste n cy an d a character ; b u t however u n su b
s tan t ial i n appearan ce, on a n alysi s there i s always to
be fou n d u n derlyin g them a stratu m of fact . I n the
Especially i n the terr ible chasti sem e n t Khu sro Parvi z i n flictedo n the Byzan ti n e s for the atrociou s m u rder of the ir Em peror, hi s
be n efactor, Mau rice , a n d his chi ldren an d wi fe see G ibbo n , vol . i v .
pp . 30 2-30 4 .
22 or THE PRE-ISLAM ITE ARABS .
leg end of Sheddad a n d hi s garden of Irem, we see i n
the hazy Pa st the refle x i e n of a m ighty emp ire,
which even co n qu ered Egypt, of a wealthy
n ation, con stru ctors of great bu ildings, with an
advanced civili satio n a n alogou s to that of Chaldaea,professin g a religion similar to the Babylo n ian ; a
nation in short, w ith whom material progress was
a llied to great moral depravity a n d obscen e rites .”
In the tradition al, half-legendary, half-hi storic de
s tru ction of the Adites a n d the Tham fi d i te s, we see
the destru ctive fate which overwhelmed these Ha
mitic races before the Semitic tide, Assyrian an d
Arab sf
Le n orm an t,An cie n t H i st . of the East, vol . 11 . p . 296 .
f The Adi te s are sa id to have bee n overwhelm ed , con qu ered an d
destroyed by the Jok ta n i te Arabs the Tham fi di tes,
“ that stran gerace of Troglodyte s ,” by the Assyrian s u n der Chedorlaom er (Kodaral-ahm ar) . T he Arabs them selve s divi ded the races who havepeopled the Pe n i n su la i n to three gran d su b-di vi sion s, vi z . ( 1 ) the
Arab-u l-Bd e’
dah , the exti n ct Arabs , u n der whi ch are i n clu ded theHam i ti c colo n i e s (Cu shi tes) wh i ch preceded the Sem i tes i n the workof colon i z ation , as also the Aram aean popu lation s of Syria
, Phoen i
cia, a n d other parts (2 ) the Arab-u l-Ar i ba , or Mu taym’
ba ,origi n al
A rabs,tru e Sem i te s, whom tradi tion repre se n ts to be descen ded from
Kahtan , or Joktan , a n d who, i n the i r progress towards the sou th,de stroyed the abor igi n al se ttlers . The Jok ta n i te Arabs
,n om ades by
n atu re , su perim posed them selves i n those cou n tri es on the prim i tivei n habi tan ts , the Ham i ti c astra l-worshippers . Thei r origi n al cradlewas a region whe n ce al so cam e th e Abraham i tes, a n d i s preci se ly i hd icated by th e s ig n ifican t n am e s of two of the d irect a n ce stors ofJoktan
,A iphax ad ,
“ border of the Chaldaea n , an d Eber, “ the m an
from beyon d [the i n refere n ce toBabylon , or the distri ct n ow
24 o n THE PRE-I SLAMITE ARABS.
cross ; that the words of ago n y which orthodox
Christia n tradition s pu t into the mou th of Jesu s,did n ot, an d cou ld n ot escape from hi s lips i n short
,
that the m an who su ffered o n the cross was a d if
fere n t person from the Divine Christ who escaped
from the hands of his persecu tors an d we n t away to
the regio n s whe n ce he had This doctri n e,
however fan cifu l, was more con sistent with the idea
of the So n ship of Jesu s ;1“a n d i n itself appears to
have been based on some stro n g probabilities . The
i n ten se desire of Pilate, whom Tertu l lian calls a
Christian at heart, to save Jce n s, i; even the u n will
i n g n e ss of Herod to inc u r more od iu m Lby themu r der of the blessed prophet of Nazareth ; the
dark n ess of the short hou rs when that great ben e
factor of hu man ity was led forth for the con su m
mati on of the frightfu l scenes which had co n tin u ed
all n ight lo n g the pretern atu ral gloom whi ch over
shadowed the eartli at the most awfu l part of this
drama all the se coincide n t circu mstances len d a
Moshe im an d G ibbon,
fi n loco.
7 The orthodox Chri stian s are forced to resort to m an y fan cifu ldoctri n e s i n order to recon ci le the two i deas .
1 Blu n t, H i st . of the Chri stian Chu rch, p . 138 .
Com p . Mi lm an, Hi st . of Chri stian i ty, vol . i . pp . 348 -362 .
If a n ythi n g cou ld le n d stron ger probabi li ty to thi s cu riou sbelief, i t ou ght to be the circu m stan tial accou n t of Lu ke, xx i v . 36,et seq. ,
abou t Je su s allow i n g him se lf to be tou ched a n d fe lt (af ter theRe su rrectio n ) i n order to calm h is affr ighted disciple s, who beli eve dh im to be a spiri t a n d h i s a sk i n g for m eat an d partak i n g of a
broi led fi sh an d of a hon eycom b .
”
on THE PRE-ISLAMITE ARABS . 2 5
stro n g probabili ty to the beli ef that the in n ocen t
escaped a n d the gu i lty su ffered .
Before the adve n t of Mohammed, all these tra
d i t ion s, based on fact thou gh tin ged by the colou r
ings of imagi n ati o n , mu st have become firmly
im bedded i n the co n vi cti on s of the people, an d
forme d essen tia l parts of the folk-lore of the cou n try .
Mohammed, therefore, when promu lgati n g hi s fa i th
an d his laws, fou n d these traditi on s floati n g amo n g
h i s pe ople he took them u p a n d adopted them as
the lever for ra i si n g the Arabs a s well as the s u r
rou n di n g n ati on s from the depth of social a n d moral
degradation in to which they had falle n .
CHAPTER II .
MOHAMEED was born of noble parentage ; the
fam ily of Hashim was the noblest amo n gst the
Koreish ; his gran dfather Abd-u l-Mu tta lib was the
c u stodi an of“
the Kaaba . The same year which saw
the destru ction of the Abyssinian in vaders, an d
which formed a n epoch in the history of the
Arabs,* witnessed the birth of Mohammed . He
was born on the 12th of Rabi -u l-Awwal (Rabi
(n ow formin g the third mon th of the Moslem year,)i n the 4oth year of the reign of Chosroe s the Great,KesraA n fi sh irvfi n , the magnificent an d su ccessfu l
rival of Ju s ti n i an sl'
Called the ‘Era of the Elephan t ,’ on accou n t of the vast array ofe lephan ts the i n vaders had brou ght wi th them . The accou n t of thi seve n t exem plifie s well how lege n ds grow am o n g u n cu ltu red n ation s .The i n vaders were de stroyed by som e pesti le n tial epidem ic, probablysm allpox ; a n d the word a l-hasaba t, which sign ifies pu stu les,a lso sign i fyi n g “ sm all ston es,” the or igi n of the lege n d tha t thearm y was destroyed by ston es showered from heave n can eas i ly betraced . See Mu ir, vol . i . I n trod . p . cclxv-cclxvi .
T I b n -al-A thi r, vol . i . p . 333, adopts the 42n d year of A n fi shi rVan
’s re ig n as the year of Moham m ed’s b ir th . M . Gau ssia de
Perceval , vol . i . pp . 282-283, hUweve’
fi'
f-
u rn ishes very stron g reaso n s
THE BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD or MOHAMMED . 27
He mi ssed all the paren tal care whi ch forms the
blessin gs of childhood . Hig fath er h ad di ed b efore
he was born . He was bereft of his mother, whe n
only six years of ag e . The charge of the orphan
child fell to his gra n dfather,who loved him dearly .
On his death-bed Abd-u l-Mu ttalib confided hi s
you n g charge to his son Abfi Taleb , a n u terine
brother of Abdu l lah, the father of Mohammed .
I n the hou se of Ab i’
i Taleb,Mohammed passed his
e arly life . E n dowed with the most amiable qu ali ti es,he won the affection s of all who came in con tact
with hi m . A tou chi ng in cident of the attachmen t
su bsisting betwee n nephew a n d u n cle is preserved
by Moslem hi storian s . Abd Tfileb determi n ed to
make a jou r n ey to Syria, leavin g Mohammed with
his ow n chi ldren at Mec ca . When Ab fi Tai leb was
on the poin t of mou n tin g his camel,Mohammed
clasped hi s kn ees a n d cri ed, O my u n cle,take me
with thee .
” The heart of Abd Taleb melted wi thi n
him an d the li ttle orphan * n ephew joi n ed the com
m ercial expeditio n of his u n cle . They travelled
together in to Syria . Du rin g on e of the halts, at a
for believi n g that the 4oth year i s the correct on e an d he calcu latesthat the 29th of Au gu st
,5 70 A . c . ,
i s the tru e date correspon di n g tothe 1 2th of Rabi I, of the fir st year of the Elephan t . Com p . also I bnHi sham (W u ste n feld ’ s p . 1 0 2 .
Tabari , vol . i i . p . 244 ; an d I bn-al-Athi r, vol . 11 . p . 26, m ake
Moham m ed o n ly n i n e years of ag e whe n th i s i n cide n t happe n edwhi lst Abu lfeda (Des Verger
’s tran sl . ) m akes him thirteen .
28 THE CHILDHOOD or MOHAMMED .
place called Bu sra, they met an Arab monk of the
name of Bahira who, stru ck by the sign s of fu tu re
gran deu r a n d in tellectu al an d moral qu aliti es of the
highest type on the cou n ten an ce of the orphan child
of Abdu llah, recognised in hi m the liberator a n d
saviou r of his cou n try a n d people . He impressed
his co n victions on Abfi Taleb, a n d e n join ed him to
gu ard his charge with the tenderest care from the
paths of da n ger an d the machin ations of hi s ene
mies .*
Very soon after, the sacrilegiou s wars of the Fijar
broke ou t.
between!
the Kore ish a n d the Bani-Ha
wazin which lasted with in terru ptio n s for nin e
years . In two of the contests Mohammed, thou gh
o n ly fou rteen or fifteen, accompa n ied his u n cles i n
this tribal war ; an d proved himself a worthy
descen da n t of the stu rdy a n d patriotic defender of
From this time till the twenty-fi fth year of his ag e ,Mohammed scarcely appears in pu blic life . His
ki n dli n ess of ‘ heart, a n d his ge n tleness of man n ers,combin ed with his fideli ty
,his ho n esty, h i s tru th,
a n d his u n su llied character, had acqu ired for him the
goodwill a n d affection of all his fellow-people, a n d
the su rn ame of d l-Am i n,the Tr u e .
”j[ I n the twen ty
I b n Hi sham , pp . 1 14-1 1 7 I bn -al-Athi r, vol . i i . pp . 26-2 7
Tabari,vol . i i . p . 245 .
f I bn -H i sham ,pp . 1 1 7-1 18 .
1 I bn -Hi sham ,p . 1 17 Tabari , vol . 11 . p . 380 Abu lfeda, p . 10 .
MOHAMMED I N PRIVATE LIFE . 29
fifth year of hi s ag e , Mohammed had oqeasion to
travel on ce more in to Syria, i n charge of the mer
chan d ise of hi s k i n swoman Khad ija, a rich widow
lady of the tribe of Koreish . The faithfu l pru den ce
a n d exalted prob i ty with which he di scharged the
tru st reposed i n him created a deep feeli n g of g ra
t i tu d e in the bosom of Khad ija . A marriage was
soon arran ged between Mohammed“
an d hi s n eble‘
ki i i‘
SWom a n Whi ch was solemn ised ami dst u n iversal
approbation . The bride was given away by her own
l i n ole,Amr b e n _Asad
, her father Khu w a ili d havin g
died before or du rin g the wars of the Fijar xrThis marriage acqu ired for Mohammed gre at con
sideration amon g his compatriots . He loved hi s
wife devotedly a n d watched her with the most
te n der care . He ma n aged her affai rs an d looked
after her i n terests with u m~ivalled pru dence . Wh en
I bn -al-A thi r (vol . 11 . p . 28 ) i s clear on thi s poi n t he sayswa ki la i n n alaz z i z avajjaha
’
u m m aha Am r be n A sad wa-i n n a
abaha m ata kabl-u l-Fijar ; kale. al-Wak id i wa-hfi u s- sahih l- i n n aabaha tawaffa kabl-u l-Fijar .
”I n sp i te of thi s di sti n ct n oti ce i n
I b n -al-A thi r an d other m ost tru stworthy Moslem hi stori a n s, l ikeI b n -Hi sham (p . Sir W . Mu ir adopts the calu m n iati n g ver
sio n of We i l a n d Spre n ger, (thou gh the latter i s n ot qu i te decidedi n h i s vi ews,) regardi n g the m arri age of Moham m ed wi th Kh adija,j u st for th e reason that i t i s im probable a n d di sparagi n g to Mohamm ed (Mu ir, vol . i i . pp . 24-25 , a n d n ote). I leave for Others to j u dgeof the fai rn ess or u n fai rn ess of Sir W . Mu ir
’s rem arks . A s to Kh uw ai lid
’
s com m an di n g"
i n th e wars of the Fijar, the con scien tiou s hi storian m u st rem em ber the wars exten ded over n i n e years .
30 MOHAMMED IN PRIVATE LIFE .
Halima, his n u rse,came to him a n d told him he r
poverty, he soli ci ted for her the b e n evolen ce of
Khad ija, who gave the old an d poor Bedou in woma n
a flock of forty sheep .* As lo n g as Khad ija lived,
he never availed himself of the Arab cu stom of
takin g several w ive s s i Du rin g her lifetime his love
was u nswerving after her death he n ever recalled
her memory bu t with the deepest emotion . Raised
above the common cares of life by the gratitu de a n d
affection of Khad ija, he devoted himself en tirely to
meditation a n d spir itu al commu n io n with God .
As yet Mohammed was a stranger to the ou tside
world . He now added to his repu tation among hi s
fellow-men by takin g a prominent part i n the resu e
citation of an old leagu e called the Federation of
the Fu dhi‘
i l (Hilf-u l-Fu dhfi l), formed in ancien t
times for the repression of a cts of lawless n ess within
the walls of Mecca . Su ch deeds of Oppression a n d
reckless au dacity had become terribly frequ en t ; a n d
acts were do n e i n broad daylight at whi ch every
sou l possessed of a spark of hu man ity revolted a n d
shu ddered . This led to a new compact betwee n
fou r or five of the chief fami li e s of Me cca i for the
protectio n of the weak a n d the oppressed . Mo
Abu lfeda, p . 9 . f I bn -Hi sham , p . 1 20 Abu lfeda, p . 1 1 .
r Th e Be n ou -Hashim (to whi ch Moham m ed him se lf be lon ged),the Be n ou -Mu ttal ib , the Ben ou -Asad , an d the fam i li es of Zohrab e n Ki lab an d Ta im bcn Mu rra. I bn -al-Athir, vol . i i . p . 29 Cau ssi n
d e Perceval, vol . i . pp . 330 -334 .
32 MOHAMMED IN PR IVATE LIFE .
hi s birthplace from falli n g u n der the yoke of the
miserable despots Of Byza n tiu m,mu st always de
serve the than ks of had
thu s already served his cou n try faithfu l ly . He had
tried also to discharge some of the debt of gratitu de
an d obligation he owed his u ncle Abfi Té‘
deb, by
chargin g himself with the edu cation of Ali , on e of
his so n s . Abd Té leb who had a large fam i ly, had
not the mea n s of brin gin g them u p as they deserved .
Mohammed, rich by his a llia n ce with Khad ija, a n d
Abbas, the brother of Ab i'
I Taleb, were the mb st
Opu len t citizens of Mecca . Du rin g a severe famine
which afflicted the cou n try, Mohammed persu aded
his u ncl e Abb é’t s to adopt one of the sons of Abd
Titleb , whilst he adopted another . Thu s Abbas
took Jafar Mohammed, Ali ; an d Akil remai n ed
with hi s father .* Mohammed had lost all his sons
i n early i n fa n cy . In the have of Ali, he fou n d con
solation for their loss ; a n d the fu tu re marriage of
the son of Abfi Taleb with the you n gest dau ghter of
Mohammed, reams, sealed the bond of love an d
devotedn ess .
Mohammed had also abou t this time set a n ex
ample to his ‘ fellow-citize n s by a n act of hu m a n i ty
hardly su rpassed by a n y recorded i n history . A
you n g Arab of the n ame of Zaid,son of Hzi ri th, was
m ade captive by a host i le tribe an d sold to a n ephew
I bn -Hisham,p . 1 0 9 I bn -al-Athi r, vol . i i . p . 42 Tabari , vol . i i .
p . 396 .
MOHAMMED I N PRIVATE LIFE . 33
of Khad ija, who prese n ted h im to h e r . Mohammed,stru ck by the gen tlen ess of Za id, a sked him a s a
gift from Khad ija a n d the mome n t he wa s made
over to him, Mohammed e n fran chised the you n g boy .
Sometime after,Za id’s father, who was ten derly
a ttached to his s on , came to Mecca i n order to ra n
s om him . Mohamme d said to Zaid, he was free to
remain with him or go with h is fa ther ; a n d you n g
Zaidpg gferre d to rema i n with h i s ben efactor . * Bu t
Vv—
II Cther e n gaged i n these acts of ben evole n ce or in
a ssi stin g h i s fellow-ci tize n s to fru strate the pla n s of
c o n spir ators, or to settle pu blic qu esti on s, the min d
of Mohammed was always bu sy o n the fu tu re d e s
tin y of his race . Hi s two vi sits to Syria had open ed
to him a sce n e of moral a n d social misery beyo n d
con ception . Before h im lay his ow n cou n try, a n d
he beheld h i s people su n k i n absolu te barbarism .
His n oble heart bled for degraded hu man i ty . With
the keen foresight of a n in spire d Teacher, he saw
that every hope of social a n d pol itical improvemen t
rested on a moral regen eratio n .
Whether i n the bosom of his family or i n the
depth of solitu de, he passed hi s time i n profou n d
meditati on . Soli tu de had i n de ed be come a passio n
w ith him . Every year, the mon th of Ram adhfi n
he spen t with h i s family on the mou n t of Hira,devotin g his time e n tirely to prayer a n d to the
I bn -H isham , pp . 1 60 -1 6 1 Cau ssi n de Perceval , vol . i pp. 346
34 MOHAMMED I N PRIVATE LIFE .
su ccou r of the poor a n d fami shed wayfarers who
came to him .
>l< Here he ofte n remain ed whole
nights plu n ge d i n the profou n dest thou ght, deep i n
commu n io n with the u n see n yet all-pervadin g God
of th e Un iverse . The poetry of the sou l can go n o
fu rther, when it is sa i d, he heard eve n the sto n es
a n d rocks a n d trees,callin g on h im to fu lfil the ta sk
an Almighty Power w a s directin g him to u n dertake -
l
The me n t al visio n s a n d the apparition s of a n gels a t
these mome n ts were the bright thou gh gradu al
daw n i n gs of those Tru ths w ith whi ch he was to
vivi fy the world . Often i n the dark a n d ben ighted
pathways of con crete existen ce,the sou l of eve ry
great m a n has been co n sciou s of u n realised yet
n ot u n see n In flu en ces,whi ch have led to some of
the happi est a chi evemen ts of hu m a n ity . From
Samu el, that a n ci e n t seer, wild an d awfu l as he
Sta n ds there, deep i n the misty horizo n of the Pa st,to Jesu s i n the wi ldern ess po n derin g over the dark
some fate of his people a n d the mag n itu de of h i s
work,li ste n i n g to the sweet accen ts of the God of
Tru th — from Jesu s to Mohammed i n the solitu de
of his mou n tain -re tr eat, i there is n o break i n the
I b n -H i sham , p . 1 0 2 ; I bn -al-A thi r, p . 34 ; A lbu feda, p . 12 ;
Tabari (Zote n berg’s Tra n sl . ) vol . i i . p . 39 1
,m e n tion s the m on th of
f l bn -H i sham ,p . 1 0 1 .
1 I thi n k I have u sed a n exaggerated expre ssion i n calli n g Hi ra am ou n tai n -re treat, for i t i s m erely a hi ll see D esverg er
’s n ote (2 5 )
to h i s tra n slation of Abu lfeda, p . 1 0 7 .
THE DAWN ING OF TRUTH . 35
a ctio n of these I n flu e n ce s .
>I< I n th e sti ll hou r s of
the n ight, i n the sweet calm n ess of the early d awn,
i n the d epth of soli tu de whe n n o hu m a n sympathyi s n ear, a Voice comes to him from heave n ge n tly a sthe sou gh of the ge n tlest bre eze , Thou ar t theMa n
, Thou art the Prophet of God or when wraptin sleep, i t comes i n mighty waves, “ Cry i n then ame of the Lord .
”1' The over-wrou ght min d at
these momen ts raises a Vision before the eye, a
Vi sion of the celestial mi n istra n ts who are beli eved
to form the me di u m of i n tercom mu n i cati o n between
the God of heave n a n d he m an on earth “ The
Father of Tru th chooses Hi s ow n prophets,an d He
speaks to them i n a voice stro n ger than the voi ce
of thu n der . It is the same i n n e r voi ce throu gh
which God speaks to all of u s . That voice m ay
dwi n d le away, a n d become hardly a u dible i t m ay
lose its divi n e acce n t an d si n k i n to the la n gu age
of worldly pru de n ce ; b u t it m ay also from time
to time a ssu me its r e s
/ll n atu re wi th th e chosen of
Eve n the su perabu n da n ce of vis ion s an d revelatio n s, w i th wh i chPau l u sed to be favou red
,form n o break i n the co n ti n u i ty of th i s
chai n thou gh,as S trau ss (New Li fe of Jesu s , vol . i . p . 4 1 7 ) ably
su gge sts , those v i sion s a n d revelation s w e'
re vou chsafed to S t . Pa u li n m om e n ts of con vu ls io n s wh ich arose from the i n fi rm i ty
—probablyep i lepsy—the Apostle h im se lf speaks of, 2 Cor . x i i . 5 , 7 a n d 9 .
"
f Kora n ,chap . xcvi . v . 1 I b n -Hi sh zi m , p . 1 0 3 ; I bn
-al-A thi r,
p . 34 . O n the re n deri n g of the word I kra, M . Deu tsch has s u ppl ieda m ost valu able fu n d of i n form atio n
, Q u art erlv Rev i ew , No . 2 5 4 ,
Art . Islam .
86 THE n AWN I NG or TRUTH
God, a n d sou n d i n their ears as a Voice from
Heave n .
”
We ca n apprecia te the severe men tal co n flicts,the i n ten si ty of fee lin g
,whi ch wru n g the heart of
Mohammed, when we ar e told that before h e had
himself reali sed his Mission,he was almost driven
to the verge of su icide, when a Voice from wi thi n ,
—a voice whi ch proceeded from the Au thor of
the Un iverse who had selected him for the salva
ti o n of h i s people— recalled him to his du ty to m a n
k i n d x l‘
His was not the commu n ion with God of those
egotists who bu ry themse lves i n deserts or forests,
a n d live a life of qu ietu de for them selves alo n e . His
wa s the hard stru ggle of the m an who is led ou
wards by a n oble r desti n y towards the liberation of
his race from the bo n dage of idolatry . Hi s destin y
w as u n folded to him, when wrapt i n profou n d medi
ta t ion,mela n choly an d sad
, he felt himself called
by tha t Voi ce from Heave n , which had called those
who had go n e before h im , to arise a n d preach, O
thou,e n wrappe d i n thy ma n tle, arise a n d warn , a n d
glori fy thy Lord .
”1 An d he arose a n d girded him
Profe ssor Mu l ler , qu oted from S tan ley ’s Lectu re s on the H i st.of the Jew i sh Chu rch , Pt . I . Lect . xvi i i . p . 394 .
T I b n -al-Athi r,vol . i i . pp . 35—36 Tabari (Zote n berg
’s Tran s] .vol . i i . p . 392 .
Kora n , chap . lxxi v . 1 . Accordi n g to lb n -al-A th i r, vol . 11 .
p . 35 , th e first verse s of chaps . 9 6 , 68 , 74 a n d 9 1 form the earlies tdawn i n gs of div i n e Tru th on the m i n d of Moham m ed .
ON THE MI ND or MOHAMMED . 37
se lf for the work to whi ch he felt himself called .
Then ce forth his life is devoted to hu man i ty . Preach
i n g with u n swervi n g pu rpose amidst frightfu l perse
cu t ion s, in su lted a n d ou traged, he held on i n hi s
path of reproof a n d reform .
Khad ija w as the first to believe in him a n d h i s
missi on . Whe n he had con fided to her sorrow
fu lly a n d de spo n din gly, the early stru ggles whi ch
preceded the e n lighte n men t of hi s mi n d by divi n e
tru ths,she co n soled him a n d expressed to hi m her
beli ef that he wou l d be th e chosen on e for rege
n erat i n g h i s people . Now that his m issi on was
revealed , she was the first to aba n do n the idolatry of
her people, a n d to joi n with h im i n pu ri ty of he art
i n offeri n g u p prayers to the All-Me rci fu l .
I n the begi n n in g Mohammed open ed hi s sou l o n ly
to those who were a t tached to him , a n d tri e d to
we an them from the gross practices of the ir fore
fathers . After Khadija, Ali w as th e first to be li eve
i n the missi on of Ofte n d id the Pro
phet go i n to the depth s of the soli tary vi llage s
arou n d Mecca, wi th hi s wi fe a n d you n g cou sin , that
they might together offe r u p the ir hear tfe lt tha n ks
to the God of all n atio n s for h i s ma n ifold blessi n gs .
On ce they were su rpri se d i n the atti tu de of praye r
by Ab d Taleb, th e father of Ali . A n d h e sa id to
Mohammed,
“ O son of my brother, what i s thi s
reli gion that thou art followi n g ?” It i s the r e li
I bn -H i sham ,p . 10 9 Abu lfedfi , D esverg cr
’
s Tran sl . p . 1 1 .
g i on of God , of His a n gels,of Hi s prophets a n d
of ou r a n cestor Abraham ,
”a n swered the Prophet,
God has sen t me to His serva n ts to direct them
towards the Tru th ; a n d thou,O my u n cle, art the
most worthy of all . It is meet that I shou ld thu s call
u po n thee , an d it is meet that thou shou ldst accept
the Tru th a n d help in spreadin g it .” Son of
my brother,” replied Abu Taleb, in the tru e Spiri t
of the stu rdy old Semite, I ca n n ot abju re the r e
lig ion of my fathers b u t by the Su preme God,wh ilst I am alive n o n e shall d are to in ju r e thee .”
The n tu rn i n g towards Ali,h i s s on , the ve n erable
patriarch e n qu ired what religi o n w as h i s O
father,”
an swered Ali,“ I beli eve i n God a n d His
Prophe t a n d go w i th h im .
” Follow him, said
Abfi Taleb, he will i n vite thee to n othin g b u t what
is
Soo n after Zaid, the son of Harith, who n otw i th
sta n din g his freedom had ca st i n his lot wi th Mo
hammed, became a co n vert to the n ew faith . He
was followed by a leadi n g member of the Koreish
commu n i ty, of the n ame of Abdu llah, son of Abu
Ku hafa,who afte rwards becam e famou s i n history a s
Abu-Bak r .T Hi s i n flu en ce drew several other con
The above i s a paraphrase of the accou n t gi ve n by I b n -Hi sham ,
pp . 1 5 9-1 60 a n d I bn -ai—A th i r, vol . i i . pp . 42-43 com p . a lso Mu ir,
vol . i i . p . 9 9 .
1' D esverg ers i n a n ote (p . 1 0 8 ) m e n tion s that before h is con ver
s io n to I slam ,he was called Abd -u l-Kaaba
,Serva n t of the Kaaba .
”
40 THE PERSECUTION or MOHAMMED BY THE KOREISH .
beli eved in h im ,’l< a n d o n ce they even wen t so far as
to en deavou r to obtai n possession of his perso n,
believin g him to be ou t of his m i n d sl' Even his im
mediate disciples were n ot firm i n their con vi ct ion s iPerhaps this u nsteadi n ess m ay have arisen from
weak n ess of chara cter, or it m ay have res u lted, as
Milman thi n ks,§ from the vary i n g ton e of Jesu s him
self b u t that i t is a fact i s u n den i able .”Thisi n ten se faith a n d co n vi cti o n on the part of the im
mediate followers of Mohamm ed is the n oblest testi
mo n y to the pu rity of hi s motives a n d the tru th of
h i s doctrin e .
For thre e years he labou red thu s, qu ietly to wean
his people from the worship of idols . At last, h e
determin ed to a ssemble all h i s kin smen i n his hou se,i n order to explai n hi s mi ssio n to them . They came;b u t mocked h i s efforts, a n d tau n ted Abfi Taleb abou t
the e n thu siasm of h i s son o n b ehalf of Moham m e dfi l
Hav in g thu s fa i led to make a n y impress i on on his
ki n smen , he comme n ced pre achi n g open ly to all his
people . Little su ccess atte n ded these effort s . Bu t
Joh n, v u . 5 . 1
” Mark,i i i . 2 1 .
1 A n d the se were th e m e n whom Jesu s called “ h i s m other a n dbre thre n ” i n prefere n ce to h i s ow n m other a n d brothers , Matt. x i i .46-48 ,
Mark i i i . 32-33.
{5 Mi lm an,H i st . of Chri s t ia n i ty
,vol . i . pp . 25 4-25 5 .
1] Sir W . Mu ir adm i ts th i s i n the m os t pos i ti ve term s (vol . 1 1 . p.
274) he says, the Apostles fled a t the first sou n d of da n ger.
”
fil I b n -al-Ath i r , vol . i i . pp . 44-47 ; Albu feda, pp . 1 5 -1 6 Kora n ,
chap . xxvi . 2 1 4 .
THE COMMENCEMENT or THE PERSECUTION . 41
his den u n ciatio n s of their idols, his reproofs, h i s
vehemen t exposu re of the grossness of thei r wor
ship lashed the Koreish in to fu ry, as the reproofs of
Jesu s had rou sed the an ger of the Jewish Sa n hedrim
before . Seve ral times they sen t depu tation s to Ab fi
Taleb, a skin g him to stop his n ephew from preachin g
aga i n st their religio n . At first, Ab fi Taleb tu rn ed
them away with soft a n d cou rteou s words . * Bu t as
Mohammed grew fi rme r i n exposi n g the we ak n ess of
their idols , they expelled h im from the Kaaba where
he w as preachi n g, a n d then came i n a body to h i s
u n cle . “ We respect thy ag e a n d thy ran k,
” sa id
they,
bu t ou r respect for thee has bou n ds ; a n d
“ veri ly, we ca n have no fu rther pati e n ce wi th thy
n ephew’s abu se of ou r gods, a n d h i s i ll-words
aga in st ou r a n cestors ; wherefore, do thou either
preve n t h im from so doi n g, or thyself take part
wi th him, so that we m ay se ttle the matterby fight,
u n til on e of the two parti es is exte rmi n ated .
”1
Havi n g th u s spoken , they departed . Ab ii Taleb was
u n willi n g to separate himself from his people, n ei ther
d id he like aba n don i n g his n ephew to the te n der
me rcies of the idolater s . Se n di n g for Mohammed,he i n form ed h im of the speech of the Kore i sh, an d
begged h im to ren ou n ce the task he had u n dertake n .
I bn -al-Athi r, vol . i i . p . 47 .
1' Tabari , vol . ,
i i . p . 40 6 ; accordi n g to thi s au thor ’s au thori tie s,verse 2 14 of chap . x x i . of the Koran was revealed abo u t thi s period .
t I bn -al ~Athi r, vol . i i . p . 47 I b n -B i sham ,p . 167- 1 68 .
42 THE COMMENCEMENT or THE PERSECUTION .
Mohammed thou ght h i s u n cle wished to withdraw
his protection b u t his high resolve did n ot fa il him
eve n at this momen t .” Firmly he repli ed : O my
u n cle,if they placed the su n on my right ha n d
, a n d
the moo n on my left, to force me to ren ou n ce my
work,verily I wou ld n ot desist therefrom u n ti l God
made man ifest His cau se, or I perished i n the at“ tempt .” Bu t the thou ght of de sertion by hi s ki n d
protector overcame He bu rst i n to tears,
a n d tu r n ed to depart . Then Abd Taleb calle d alou d“ Son of my brother, come back a n d he cam e .
An d Ab n Taleb said Say whatsoeve r thou
pleasest for,by the Lord , I shall n ot aba n do n thee,
n ay never .’
1 The Koreish made a n other a ttemp t
to persu ade Ab d Taleb to deliver u p h i s nephew to
them . They offered, i n excha n ge, a you n g m a n of
the fami ly of Makh z ii m , b u t it w as of n o ava i l . iThe declared inte n tio n of Abfi Taleb to su ppor t hi s
nephew excited their fu ry, a n d they re n ewed thei r
men aces of viole n ce . The ven erable patriarch ap
pealed to the sen se of ho n ou r a n d pride of the Ba n i
Hashim,the k i n sme n of Mohammed, to protect a
distin gu i shed member of their fami ly from falli n g
a victim to the hatred of rival cla n s . Abfi Taleb’s
energeti c appeal wa s nobly respo n ded to by the
M u ir,vol . 11 . p . 1 64 .
1' I bn -Hi sham ,p . 1 68 ; I bn
-ai -A th i r, vol . i i . p . 48 ; Abu lfeda,p . 1 7 .
j: I b n -Hi sham , p . 1 69 I b n -al-A th ir, vol . i i . p . 48 .
THE PERSECUTI ou . 8
Hashimites, with the exception -
of Abu Laheb , the
fathe r of flame .
’
The fu ry of the Koreish,however
,i n crea sed every
d ay ; a n d thou gh, i n the begi n n in g, the powerfu l
i n flu en ce of Ab fi Taleb had the effect of wardi n g off
a n immediate attempt on the life of Mohammed,yet
the ou trages , to whi ch he a n d his d i sciples were ex
posed, were fearfu l . The hosti le Korei sh followed
h im wherever he we n t ; they threw sto n es at him
a n d his di sciples whe n en gaged i n the i r devoti o n s
they threw dirt o n him du ri n g h i s meals . They stop
ped him from offerin g hi s prayers n ear the Kaaba .
They orga n i sed a regu lar system of pe rsecu ti on ; e ach
family taki n g u po n i tself the task of stra n gli ng the
n ew religion amon g its members . The hill ofHamdha
a n d the place called Batha became thu s the sce n es
of cru el tortu r e s x l' The m e n or women whom the
Koreish fou n d aba n do n i n g the worship of thei r
i dol-gods,were exposed by them to the bu rn i n g
heat of the dese r t, where when redu ced to the last
extremity by hu n ger an d thirst, they were offered
the alter n ative of adori n g the idols or death . Some
reca n ted ; b u t the majority held firmly to their
fa ith . They ki lled wi th excru ciati n g tormen ts
The w i fe of thi s m an, Um -i -Jam i l
,i s called i n the Kora n ,
Ham m alat-al-Hatab, “ the bearer of fagots for she u sed to scatterthorn s i n the place s Moham m ed frequ e n ted for devotion an d m ed itation , chap . cx i . 4 .
T I bn -al-Athi r , vol . 1 1 . p . 5 0 ; I b n -H i sham ,pp . 20 5 -20 9 . See
n ote at the e n d of thi s chapter .
44 THE KOREISH TEMPT MOHAMMED .
Ya sar a n d Samiya, his wi fe ; they i n flicted fearfu l
tortu res on Ammar, their son . Mohammed w as
often a n eye-witn ess of the su fferin gs of his d i s
ciple s, su fferin gs born e wi th patien ce an d endu ra n ce
a s became martyrs i n the ca u se of Tru th . And
these were n ot the o n ly martyrs i n the early hi story
of I slam fi l< Like the Phari sees temptin g Jesu s, the
Koreish eve n '
cam e to Mohammed with tem ptation s
of worldly ho n ou r a n d w orldly aggran di semen t, in
order to draw him from the path of his du ty. On e
d ay, says the chro n i cler, he w as sittin g i n the mosqu e
of Hij r a t a little di stan ce from an a ssembly of the
opposi n g chiefs, whe n on e of them,Otb a, son of
Rabi a, came to him, a n d said to the Prophet, O
son of my brother, thou art disti n gu i shed by thy
qu ali ti es an d thy descen t .‘
Now thou hast sown
divisi on amo n g ou r people an d ca st di ssen sion i n
ou r famili es ; thou d e n ou n ce st ou r gods a n d god
desses thou dost tax ou r a n cestors w i th impi ety .
We have a propositi o n to make to thee ; thi n k
well i f i t will n ot su i t thee to accept i t .” Speak,
O father of Walid,”1 sa id the Prophet,
“ I liste n .
”
O son of my brother , if thou w i she st to'
acqu i re
riches by this affa i r, we will collect a fortu n e
larger than is possessed by an y of u s ; if thou
I bn -al-Ath i r, vol . 11 . pp . 5 0 -5 5 .
1” Wfi lid be i n g a son of O tha . It was u su al an d i s so eve n n ow
am o n g the Arabs to call a m an,as the father of so-a n d-so, i n stead
of u s i n g h i s ow n n am e , as a m ark of co n sideratio n .
THE KOREISH TEMPT MOHAMMED . 45
desirest ho n ou rs an d dig n ity,we shall make thee
ou r chief a n d shall n ot do a thin g wi tho u t thee
i f thou des irest d omi n i o n , w e shall make thee
ou r ki n g ; a n d if the spirit (demon ) wh i ch pos
sesse s thee can n ot b e overpowered, we wi ll br i n g
thee d octors a n d give them ri che s till they cu re
thee . A n d whe n he had do n e, “ Ha st thou
fi n i shed,O father of Walid
,
”a sked the Prophet .
Yes,
” replied he Then listen to me .” I
li ste n,he said . I n the n ame of the most m e r
fu l God . Thi s is a revelati o n from the most Mer
c i fu l : a book the verse s whe reof are d i stin ctly
explain ed, a n Arabi c Kora n , for the in stru cti o n
of pe ople who u n dersta n d beari n g good tidi n gs,a n d den ou n ci n g threats : b u t the greater part of
them tu rn a side, a n d hearke n n ot thereto . An d
they say, Ou r hearts are vei led from the doctrin e
towhi ch thou i n v i te st u s a n d there is a deafn ess
i n ou r e ars,a n d a cu rtain between u s a n d thee
‘ wherefore act thou , as thou shall thin k fit ; for
we shall act accordi n g to ou r ow n s en timents . ’
Say, Verily I am o n ly a m a n like you . It is re
vealed u n to me that yo u r God is one God where
fore direct you r way straight u nto Him ; a n d ask
pardon of Hi m for what i s past . An d woe be to
the idolaters ; who give n ot the appoin ted alms,an d believe n ot i n the life to come ! Bu t as to
those who beli eve a n d work righteou s n ess, they
shall receive an everlasti n g reward Wh en
Koran , chap . x li .
46 THE KOREISH PURSUE THE REFUGEES .
the Prophet fi n i shed thi s reci tatio n , he said to Otba,Thou hast heard, n ow take the cou rse which seem
eth best to
Profou n dly affli cted by the persecu tio n of his dis
ciple s , whose posi tio n e very d ay became more a n d
more u n b earable , he advised them to go to Abys
si n ia a n d rema i n there, ti ll some cha n ge for the
better occu rred i n the feelin gs of the Koreish . Some
immediately avai led themselves of the advice, a n d
sai led,to the n u mber of fifteen , to the hospitable
shores of Abyss i n i a . Thi s i s called the first Flight
i n the hi story of Islam , a n d occu rred i n the 5 th
ye ar of Mohammed’s Missi on [6 1 5 These
emigra n ts were soon joi n ed by man y more of their
fe llow-su fferers an d labou rers i n the cau se of Tru th,
u n t i l thei r n u mber amou n ted to eighty-two or eighty
thre e m e n a n d eighteen w om e n rl Bu t the u ntiri n g
hosti lity of the Koreish d id n ot allow them rest or
peace even he re . The Korei sh sen t depu ties to the
Ki n g of Abyssi n ia (Najash i , Negu s) to deman d the
delivery of the se refu gees i n order to pu t them to
death . They stated the chi ef charges again st themto be their abj u ration of the old re ligion au d their
adoption of a n ew on e . The ki n g sen t for the exi les
an d e n qu i re d of them, whether what thei r en emi es
had stated was tru e . What is this rel igi on for
I b n -Hishftm,pp .
t I b n —H i sham , p . 20 8 , et seq. I bn -al-Ath i r, vol . 1 1 . p . 5 8 ;
A bu lfeda,p . 20 .
48 THE DEMANDS or THE IDOLATERS REFUSED .
se cu te d u s i n order to make u s forego the worship
of God a n d to retu rn to the worship of idols of
wood, a n d othe r abomi n ation s . They have tor
t u red a n d i n ju red u s,u n til fin d in g no safety
amo n g them,we have come to thy cou n try, a n d
hope‘thou wi lt protect u s from their
The dema n ds of the Koreish were scou ted by th e
kin g, a n d the depu ties retu rned in co n fu sion to
Mecca .
Here,we m ay pau se for a moment in the cou rse
of ou r history, an d recog n ise the deep sign ifican ce
of this tou chin g epi sode . The words of Jafar con
tai n a comprehen sive su mmary of the e n tire teach
i n gs of Mohammed . No perso n has ever su cceeded
i n equ allin g the b u rn in g e n thu siasm of that m a n,
pleadin g the cau se of his fell ow-reli gionists a n d per
se cu te d ki n smen .
Whi lst the disciples of Mohammed were seek
i n g safety i n other la n ds from the persec u tion of
their e n emies, he himself stood bravely at his post,a n d amidst every opprobriu m
,i n su lt an d ou trage
pu rsu ed hi s mission . Again they came to him with
promises of ho n ou r a n d riches in order to sedu ce
him from his du ty ; the reply w as as before,fu ll
of life , fu ll of faith . I am n either desirou s of
ri ches, n or amb itiou s of dign i ty,n or of domin i on
I am sen t by God, who has ordain ed me to a nnou n ce glad tidi n gs u n to you . I give you the
I bn -al-Athi r, vol . 11 . p . 6 1 an d I bn -Hi sham ,pp
. 2 19,220 .
MOHAMMED’ S ANSWER To THE IDOLATERS .
words of my Lord I admon i sh you . I f you will
accept what I brin g you , there is happin ess for you
i n this world a n d i n the n ext ; i f you reject m yadmon ition s, I shall be patient, a n d leave God to
j u dge betwee n you a n d They asked for
miracles to prove h is mission . Remark h i s reply .
God has n ot sent me to you to work won ders .
He has se n t me to preach to you . If you wi ll
accept what I brin g you , you will have happin ess
i n this world a n d the next . If you reject my ad
mo n itio n s, I shall b e patien t, a n d God will ju dge
betwee n you a n d. me The su blimity of these
words have bee n hardly recogn ised even t o the pre
s ent day . Disclaimin g every power of won der
workin g, Mohammed rests the tru th of his divine
commissio n entirely u pon his teachin gs . Listen to
wha t I say, a n d happy will be you r lot here a n d
hereafter” i s his in variable appeal to his hostile an d
idolatrou s people . I am b u t a m a n like you ,” he
says, b u t I bri n g you hopefu l tidi n gs .
”-
r' The
a n swer he receives breathes a fierce animosi ty para l
I bn -Hi sham,p . 1 8 8 .
1“ The passage of Sir W . Mu i r on thi s poi n t i s, to s ay the least ,
rem arkable . He says,
“whe ther the id olatry ofMecca wou ld n ot have
su ccu m bed w i thou t a stru ggle before su ch preachi n g as Mahom e t’ s ,su sta i n ed by r eason able ev i d en ce, m ay be m a tter for specu latio n ,”
(the i tali cs are hi s ow n ) , vol . i i . p . 1 1 4 . Lik e the Kore i sh, Si rW .
Mu i r i s n ot sati sfied w i th the teachi n gs u n le ss su pporte d by won der
w orki n gs . A few devi ls cast ou t wou ld have sat isfied both the
Kore i sh an d i n later ag e s the Chri st ian h i stori a n s .
5 0 THE TRUE FAITH GAINS GROUND I
leled o n ly by the darkest d ay s ‘
of Aria n or Pelagia n
persecu ti on 1 n Chri ste n dom .
“ Kn ow this, O Mo
hamme d,
” sa id they,
“w e shall n eve r ce a se to stop
thee from preachi n g, till either thou or we perish .
S u pported,howeve r
,by a firm con victi o n i n
Divi n e a ssi sta n ce,an d u pheld by the admon i ti o n s
of the he ave n ly voi ce wi thi n , which he believed,i n the sin ceri ty of h i s heart, to be th e voi ce of God,co n veyed to him by the m i n i s tra tors of heaven ly
mercy,he con ti n u ed his preachi n g u n deterred by
the hostility of hi s e n emi es,or by the i n ju ries they
i n flicted u po n him . I n spite of all opposi ti o n ,
however, slowly, b u t su rely, the n ew teachi n gs
gain ed grou n d . The seeds of tru th thu s scattered
cou ld not fail to fru ctify . The wi ld Arab of the
desert, the tradi n g citi zen of dista n t town ships,who came to the n atio n al fair
,heard the words
of the stra n ge m a n,whom hi s e n emies thou ght
possessed, listen ed to the admo n iti o n s,i n whi ch
he pou red forth hi s sou l ; li sten ed with aw e an d
wo n der to h i s den u n ciation s of the ir divi n i ti esof wood a n d sto n e , an d of thei r su perstiti on s ; a n d
carri ed back to their di sta n t homes new light a n d
n ew life, even u n con sciou sly to themselves.The
satires, the i ll-n ames his e n emi es heaped u pon
Mohammed ten ded to make hiswords more extens ively kn own . An Yathr eb i te >l< wrote to the
The ci ty of Yathreb was n ot called Medi n a (the ci ty pare x cellen ce) u n ti l Moham m ed’ s arri val there from that tim e i t was
THE GRADUAL SPREAD or ISLAM . 5 1
Koreish of Mecca, an d , holdin g u p the examples of
bygo n e ages, exhorte d them n ot to be come em
broi led with civi l di sse n sio n s a n d warfare . He a lso
advi sed them to give a hearin g to the n ew
pr e acher“ An ho n ou rable m an has adopted a certai n r e
lig ion , why persecu te him ? for i t i s o n ly the Lord
of the heave n s who ca n read the heart of m a n !
Follow the tru e religio n : ou r eyes are fixed o n
you ; they follow the right track who keep a lways
i n view th e highest poi n ts . ’
Abou t this time,also, Mohammed had the sati s
factio n of seein g h i s u n cle, Hamza, a n d the we ll
known Om ar,1' both m e n of grea t e n ergy, adopt h i s
r eligi on . Hamza, i n deed, w as the prototype of Al i
i n bravery, ge n erosity, a n d chivalrou s gra n deu r of
chara cter .
The accessio,of stren gth brou ght to the n ew
fa ith,by the a he si on of Hamza an d Omar, was
c ou n terbalan ced by the loss of Ab il Taleb a n d
Khadija, i n the same year, (61 9 -620 The
ven erable chief of the Ba n i -Hashim had stood fa i th
fu lly by h i s n ephew . For thre e co n secu tive year s
previou s to his de ath he a n d hi s kin sme n —the
c alled , i n hon ou r to hi m ,
“ the c i ty of the prophe t,” (Medi n a t-u nNab i ) .
I bn -Hi sham,p . 1 80 . Thi s doe s n ot prove tha t the ide a ofGod
head was ge n era l am o n g the Arabs . '
A n exceptio n a l m a n doe s n ot
repre se n t the race or tribe .
1' Afterwards Caliph .
5 2 DEATH or ABU TALEB AND KRADIJA .
children of Httsh im ’l< a n d his brother, Mu ttalib , —had
bee n be leagu ered i n the ir ow n qu ar ter, a n d su bjected
to every privation by the Koreish, i n order to force
them to deliver u p Mohammed . This si ege was the
resu lt of a regu lar leagu e amo n g the variou s families
oppose d to the Prophet . Redu ced to the la st
extrem iti es for wan t of provisi o n s an d water, the
Ban i -Hashim were o n ly saved by the breaki n g-u p of
the leagu e aga i n st them,i n consequ e n ce of extern al
disse n si ons -
r
Abd Taleb did n ot su rvive this event ma n y
mo n ths ; an d i n him Mohammed lo st, n ot o n ly the
head of the fami ly, who had kept it u n i ted, b u t a
protector who had hithe rto shielded him from the
fu ry of h i s en emies . The death of Khad ija wa s a
l oss equ ally severe . I n the hard stru ggles of life ;i n th e ma n y affli cti on s a n d trials which he had to
u n dergo, she was h i s sole comforter ; an d her death,followin g immediately u pon that of Abi
‘
i Taleb,fell
heavi ly o n Moham m e d . j;
Hashim was the great gran dfather of the Prophet, an d the father
of Abdu l-Mu ttalib .
1 I b n -H i sham , p . 230,et seq. ; I b n -al-A thi r, vol . 1 1 . pp . 66-68
Abu lfeda, p . 2 1 -22 .
I I bn -al-Ath ir, vol . 11 . pp. 69, 70 .
NOTE TO CHAPTER I I . 5 3
NOTE TO CHAPTER I I .
SirW . Mu ir thin ks M . Cau ssi n d e Perceval has m ade a m i stake i nsu pposi n g Ram t a n d Batha to be n am e s of places . He thi n ks theys ign ify the n atu re of the soi l over whi ch the se peop le w ere tortu red,vol . i i . p . 1 29 . To corroborate M . Cau ssi n d e Perceval an d m yse lf
,I
have on ly to add tha t the exi ste n ce of these place s i s an u n dou bte dfact ; an d Batha e speci ally has bee n frequ e n tly referred to by Moh am m edan au thors a s a place i n the i m m edia te vi ci n i ty of Mecca .
For exam ple , the ce lebrated Haki m San di says
Cho i lm at hast khidm at ku n cho bi - i lm an,k e z i sht a i d
,
G irifta chi n ian i hram , w a Mekki khu fta dar Batha.
”
I f thou posse ssest kn ow ledge , serve like those who are ign ora n tfor i t i s u n seem ly tha t people from Chi n a sho u ld adopt the Ibra‘i m ,
that i s to say , com e on a pi lgri m age to Mecca, an d the n ative of
Mecca shou ld li e sleepi n g at Bathe.
”
CHAPTER III .
THE death of Abfi Taleb became the Signal for
the Koreish to redou ble thei r persecu tion s . The
fami ly of Hashim,deprived of its head, cou ld n ot
afford a n e ffi caciou s protecti on to Mohammed . The
i n j u ri e s a n d ou trages to whi ch he had bee n a lready
expose d we re ren ewed with in crea sed fu ry .*
Weighed down by the loss of h i s ve n erable pro
tector a n d of his cheri shed wife, hopeless of tu rn
i n g the Korei sh from idolatry, he determ in ed to
proce e d to Tayef, a n d preach to i t s in habitan ts the
u n i ty of God . Accompan ied by his faithfu l servan t
Za id,the son of Har i th, he arrived amo n g the
Thak i frt Bu t , i n ste ad of m aki n g a favou rable im
pre ssi o n , hi s w ords r ou sed thei r fu ry they drove him
from the ci ty a n d th e rabble a n d the slaves
followed, hooti n g a n d pelti n g him wi th sto n e s u n ti l
the eve n i n g, whe n they le ft h im”
to pu rsu e hi s w ay
alo n e . Wou n de d a n d ble edi n g, footsor e a n d we ary,h e b e took hims e lf to praye r u n de r the shade of some
palm tre e s, which afforded a we lcom e she lte r to th e
I bn -al-A th i r,vo l . 11 . p . 69 . 1 The people of Tayef.
5 6 THE FIRST PLEDGE or AKABA.~
sat down,a n d l i stened . Stru ck by his earn estness,
a n d the tru th of his words, they became his prose
lytes, (620 A . C .) ;
>l< an d,retu rn i n g to thei r city, they
spread the n ews,with lightn i n g-rapidi ty, that a
Prophet had risen amon g the Arabs, who w as to call
them to God, an d pu t an e n d to their dissen sio n s
whi ch had lasted for centu ries .
Next year theseYathrebi te s retu rned, a n d brou ght
six m ore of their fe llow- citizen s a s depu ties from the
two pr in cipal tribes who occu pied that c i ty s l‘
On the self-same spot whi ch had witn e ssed the
con versio n of the former six,the new-com ers gave
i n their adhesion to Mohammed . Thi s is called the
first Pledge of Akaba,from the n ame of th e hi ll on
whi ch the con feren ce w as he ld . iThe Pledge they took w as a s follows We will
n ot a ssociate a n ythi n g with God we will n ot steal
n or commit adu ltery,"
n or forn icati o n we will n ot
kill ou r childre n we will abstain from calu mn y
a n d sla n der ; we wi ll obey the Prophe t i n every
thi n g that i s right a n d we wi ll be fa ithfu l to him
i n weal a n d i n sorrow .
”
I bn -H i sham , pp . 28 6, 287 Tabari (Zote n berg’
s tran s ), vol . 11 .
p. 438 .
1 A u s a n d Khazraj .t I n th e hi story of Islam , thi s Pledge i s also ca lled the “ Pledge ofWom e n , i n con tradi sti n ction to the secon d Pledge
, i n whi ch the
d epu t ies of Yathreb took a n oa th to assi st the Moslem s, eve n by arm s,
aga i n st the attacks a n d ou trage s of the i r e n em i e s .I bn -H i sham , p . 28 9 I b n -
al-Athi r , vol . i i . pp . 73, 74 .
GRANDEUR or MOHAMMED’ S CHARACTER . 5 7
After the Pledge, they retu rn ed home with a di s
c iple of Mohammed to teach them the fu n damen tal
doctrin es of the n ew religi on , which rapidly spread
amon g the in habitan ts of Yathr eb .
The in terval which elapsed between the first an d
secon d Pledge is remarkable, a s on e of the most
cri tical periods of Mohamm ed’ s mi ssio n . The su blime
tru st of Mohammed in God, an d the grandeu r of his
character n ever stan d forth more promi n en tly than
a t this period . He was sad at the sight of his people
so stern ly wedded to idolatry bu t hi s sorrow w as
a ssu aged by the hope that the tru th wou ld i n the
e n d prevai l . He might n ot live to see it ;1' b u t as
su rely as darkn ess fli es before the rays of the s u n,so
s u rely falsehood wou ld vanish before tru thqf Re
gardin g this epoch, a few words of u ncon sci ou s
admiratio n escape even the lips of Mu ir : Mahome t,thu s holdi n g his people at bay ; waiting, in the sti ll
expectatio n of vi ctory, to ou tward appearan ce
defen celess,an d with hi s little ban d as it were i n
the lio n ’s mou th ; yet, tru stin g in His Almighty
power, whose messen ger h e believed himself to be,resolu te a n d u n moved —presents a spectacle of
su blimi ty, paralle led on ly i n the Sacred Records by
su ch scen es as that of the Prophet of Israel,whe n
Koran , chap . v i . verse 1 0 7 .
1‘ Koran , chap . x 1. verse 78 xli i i . verse 40 , &c .
j: Kora n , chap . x x i . verse 1 8
5 8 THE v i si oN or THE ASCENSION OR MIRAJ .
he compla ined to his Master, I,eve n I o n ly, am
This period is also remarkable for that n otable
v i si o n of th e Ascen sio n , whi ch has fu rn i shed worlds
of golden dreams for the im agi n ative gen iu s of poets
a n d tradition i sts . They have woven beau tifu l a n d
gorgeou s legen ds rou n d the simple words of the
Kora n :“ Pra i se be to Him who carried His serva n t
“ by n ight from the sacred temple to the tem ple
that i s more remote, whose precin cts we have
blessed, that we might Show h im some of ou r
sign s ! for He is the Hearer, the Seen”? An d
Li fe of Mahom e t,vol . 11 . p . 228 . Tha t whi ch fol low s i s charac
teri st ic of Sir W . Mu i r . Nay , the spectacle i s i n on e poi n t of vi ew“m ore m arve llou s becau se th e Prophets of old w ere u phe ld by adivi n e i n spira tion wh i le , wi th th e Arabian Prophe tthe con fe ssed i n abi li ty to work a n y m iracle ,” &c . ,
& c . I w on derwhat i s the stan dard by wh i ch the h i storian j u dges of the d iffere n cei n the character of the i n sp iration s ; or whe ther som e parti cu lari n spiration has bee n vou chsafe d h im to i n sti tu te these com pari son s PThe spi ri t whi ch i n ci ted the Arabs to ask Moham m e d to cau se w e l l san d ri vers to gu sh forth
,to bri n g dow n th e heave n s p i ecem ea l, to
ra i se a hou se of gold , seem s sti ll to exi st, whe n w e see a wr i ter i n then i n e tee n th ce n tu ry lay so m u ch stre ss on Moham m ed ’s “ con fe ssed“ i n ab i l i ty to work a n y m i racle .
”The ration ali st of eve iy ag e w il l
be sa ti sfied w i th the u n an swerable reply of Moham m e d to the
i dola ters of those day s , wh ich w ou ld apply equ ally w e l l to the
Chri stia n s of the prese n t : My Lord b e pra i sed Am I m ore tha na m a n se n t as an apostle A n gel s do n ot com m o n ly walkthe earth , or God wo u ld have despatched a n a n ge l to preach Hi stru th to vou .
” Com p . De u tsch on Islam,i n the Q u a rterly Revi ew ,
No . 2 5 4,p . 322-323 .
1' Koran , chap . xvi i . verse 1 .
THE YATHREBI TES RETURN To INVITE MOHAMMED . 5 9
aga i n : An d remem ber we said to thee, veri ly, thy“ Lord i s rou n d abou t man kin d ; we ordai n ed the
Vi s i on which we showed All tha t Mo
ham m edan s m u s t be lieve respectin g the Mee is,tha t the Prophet saw him se lf, i n a vision, trans
ported from Mecca to Jeru salem, a n d that i n su ch v
visi o n he really beheld some of the greatest sign s
of his Lord . It mu st be evide n t to the reader
that the vi sio n s also of a prophet are a mode of
divin e in spiration .
”1”
The followi n g year (622 lan e ) the Yathrebi te s, who
had adopted the n ew religion , repaired to Mecca, to
the n u mber of seve n ty-fi ve , i n compan y with their
i dolatrou s brethre n , to in vite the Prophet to the ir
e i ty ;;t b u t the idolaters had n o kn owledge of the
i n te n tion of their compa n ion s .
In the sti lln ess of n ight,§ when all hostile eleme n ts
appeared slu mberin g, these pio n eers of the n ew faith
Koran , chap . x v n . verse 62 .
j' Syed Ahm i ed Khan ; Ess . x i . p . 34 . Mu ir
,to m y m i n d
,i s qu i te
correct whe n he says tha t th e earli e st au thori ti e s poi n t o n ly to a
v i s ion , n ot to a rea l bodi ly jou r n ey,” vol . i i . p . 22 1
,n ote . Com pare
a l so the early tradi tio n s give n by I b n -H i sham,p . 267, wh ich prove
tha t the a sce n sio n w as a Rfi ya , a vi si on . It m ay, I th i n k, be fairlyasked why Chr isti an s , who beli eve i n the bod i ly re su rre ction a n d
bodi ly asce n s io n of Je su s a n d of Elijah , shou ld look u po n those Mos
le m s . who be li eve i n the bodi ly asce n sion of Moham m ed , as le s sra tio n al tha n them se lve s
j: I bn -Hi sham,p . 2 9 6 .
I n the n ight of the firs t a n d secon d day of the Tash ri k , the per iodof three days
,wh ich follow i m m edi ately the ce lebratio n of the ri te s
of the pi lgrim age .
60 SECOND PLEDGE OF AKABA.
met u n der the hill which had witn essed the first
Pledge . Mohammed app eared amon g them,a ecom
pan i ed by his u n cle Abbas, who, thou gh n ot a con
vert, yet took a warm in terest in the progress of
Islam . He open ed the con feren ce an d vividly
described to the Yathreb i te s the risks they i n cu rred
by adopti n g Islam,a n d in vitin g its teacher to the ir
ci ty . They replied with on e voice they adopted the
religion thou gh co n sciou s of th e da n gers tha t su r
rou n ded them .
“ Speak,O Prophet of God,
” said
they, a n d exact a n y pledge for thyself a n d thy“ Lord .
” The Prophet bega n,a s was his wo n t, by
recitin g several passages of the Koran he the n i n
v i ted all present to the service of God,a n d dwelt
u pon the blessin gs of the n ew di spen satio n The
former Pledge w as repeated, that they wou ld worship
non e b u t God—that they wou ld observe the precepts
of Islam—that they wou ld obey Mohammed i n
all that w as right,a n d defen d him an d h i s eve n as
they wou ld their women a n d ch i ld re n d‘ “ A n d
,
”
said they,“ if we die i n the cau se of God
,wha t Sha ll
be ou r retu rn ? ” Happi n ess hereafter,
”wa s the
reply . 1 Bu t ,” said they, thou wilt n ot leave u s
“ i n the hou r of prosperity,to retu rn to thy people ? ”
The Prophet smi led a n d said : “ Nay , n eve r ; you r
blood is m y blood I am you rs, you are mi n e .
”
I bn -Hi shftm , p . 29 6 I b n -al-A th i r,vol . i i . p . 76 .
T Cau ssi n d e Perceval , vol . i i i . p . 7 .
It Abu lfed zi , p . 20 I bn -al-A thi r;vol . i i . p . 77.
THE FURY OF THE KOREI SH . 6h
Give u s then thy hand ; an d each o n e , placin g hi s
ha n d o n the Prophe t’s ha n d, swore allegia n ce to him
a n d his God . Scarcely had the compact been con
clu ded, when the voice of a Mecca n , who had bee n
watchi n g this scene from a di stan ce,came floatin g
on the n ight a i r,striki n g a su dden pa n i c into the
self-den yi n g hearts there assembled . The firm words
of Mohammed restored their presence of min d .
Mohammed then selected twelve men from amo n g
them,—men of position, poi n ted ou t to him by the
voice of the people, as h i s delegates Thu s
was conclu ded the se co n d Pledge of Akaba .
The Meccan spy had already spread the news of
this con ference throu gh the city . Astou n ded at the
temerity of Mohammed a n d his followers,the Kor
eish proceeded i n a body to the caravan of the
Yathrebi te s, to deman d the m e n who had e n tered
into the Pledge with him . Fin din g n o clu e, how
ever,a s to the person s who had take n part at the
meetin g, they allowed the car ava n to depart u n
molested . Bu t this apparen t moderatio n on the
part of the Korei sh formed o n ly a prelu de to a
fu riou s persecu tio n of Mohammed a n d h i s disciple s .
The position of the latter became every d ay more an d
I bn -Hi sham ,pp . 297-30 0 . Seve n ty-fi ve people , m e n a n d wom e n ,
took part i n thi s Pledge . Thi s eve n t occu rre d i n the m o n th of
Dhu ’l-Hajja, a n d the Prophe t stopped at Mecca throu ghou t therem ai n der of thi s m on th, a n d Moharram an d Safar . I n Rabi I . heleft for Medi n a I b n -al-Athi r, vol . i i . p . 78 .
62 MOHAMMED’ S POSIT ION AT MECCA .
m ore perilou s . The Prophet, fearing a gen eral mass
a cre , advised hi s followe rs to se ek immediate safety
a t Yathreb whereu pon,abou t on e hu n dred fami li e s
S i le n tly di sappeared by twos an d threes from Me cca,
a n d proceeded to Ya thr eb , where they were receive d
with en thu si a sm . E n ti re qu arters of the city thu s
became deserted ; a n d Otba, the son of Rabi a, a t the
S ight of these vaca n t abodes, o n ce so fu ll of life ,sighed heavi ly
,
”a n d recited the Old verse : Every
dwelli n g-place,eve n if it has been blessed ever so
lon g,wi ll one day become a prey to u n happi n ess
a n d bitter win d “ An d,
” he sorrowfu lly added,all this is the work Of the son of ou r brother, who
has scattered ou r assemblies, ru i n ed ou r affa i rs, a n d
created dissension amongst u s .
”
AS it was with Jesu s, so i t was with Mohammed
o n ly wi th this differen ce,that i n o n e ca se the Teacher
himself says : Thi n k n ot that I came to sen d pe ace
on earth ; I came not to sen d peace, b u t a sword
for I am come to set a m an at var i a n ce aga i n st hi s
father , a n d the dau ghte r aga i n st h e r mother, an d
the dau ghter -i n -law agai n st h e r mother-i n -law .
”1‘
I n Mohammed’ s case it i s o n e of h i s most perseve rin g
oppo n e n ts who accu ses h im of creatin g di ssen si o n i nfam ili es .
Bu t throu ghou t thi s period,whe n the storm
w as a t its he ight a n d might at an y mome n t bu rst
over h i s head, Mohammed never qu ai led . All hi s
I bn -Hi sham,p . 31 6 . t Matthew x . 34
, 3 5 .
64 THE ESCAPE OF MOHAMMED .
they watched all night lo n g, waitin g to kill hi m
whe n he shou ld leave his hou se early i n the dawn ,
peepi n g n ow a n d then throu gh a hole i n the door to
make su re that he Still lay o n h i s bed . Bu t, mea n
whi le,the in sti n ct Of self-preservati on , the i n stin ct
whi ch had Often led the great Prophet of Nazare th
to evade h i s e n em i e sfi< had warn ed Mohamme d of
the da n ger . In order to keep the atten tio n of the
as sassin s fixed u pon the bed, he pu t his own green
garment u po n the devoted a n d faithfu l Al i , bade him
li e on his bed,1 a n d escaped, as David had escaped,throu gh the window . He repaired to the hou se of
Abfi Bakr a n d they fled together,
u n observed,
from the in hospitable city of their birth . They layhid for several days i n a cavern of Mou nt Thou r
, a
hil l to the sou th ofMe cca j:
The fu ry Of the Koreish was n ow u n bo u nded . The
news that the a ssassin s had retu r n ed u n su ccessfu l,
a n d Mohammed had escaped,arou sed their whole
en ergy . Horsemen scou r ed the cou n try . A pricew as se t u pon Mohammed’ s head . § O n ce or twi ce
the da n ger approached so n ear that the heart of oldAbd Bakr qu aked with fear . “ We are b u t two
,
said he . Nay ,” said Mohammed
,we are three
God is with u s .
”An d he was with them .
After
Com p . M i lm an , Hi st . of Chri stia n i ty, vol . i . p . 2 5 3 .
1' I b n -H i sham , p . 325 I bn -al-Ath i r
,vol . i i . p . 8 0 .
1 See D esverg er’
s n ote ( 5 7) to hi s Ab u lfeda, p . 1 1 6 .
Of a hu n dred cam els . I bn -Hi sham ,p . 328 ; I bn -al-A thi r
,
vol . i i . p . 8 1 .
THE FLI GHT OF MOHAMMED .
thre e days the Kore i sh slacken ed their efforts . All
thi s time Moham m e d a n d hi s compa n i o n were s u s
t ai n ed by food brou ght to the m at n ight by th e
da u ghter Of Ab d Bakr . * O n the eve n in g of the
third d ay the fu gi tive s left the caver n , a n d , procu r
i n g wi th great diffic u lty tw o camels, e n deavou red to
re ach Yathr eb by u n frequ e n ted paths . Bu t eve n
here the w ay w as fu ll of da n ge r . The heavy pr ice
set u po n Mohammed’ s he ad had brou ght ou t ma n y
horsemen from Mecca, a n d they were sti ll di lige n tly
se eki n g for the he lple ss w a n de rer . O n e,a wild a n d
fierce w arri or,actu ally cau ght sight of th e fu gitives
a n d pu rsu e d them . Agai n th e he art of Ab fi Bakr
m i sgave him, a n d he cri ed, We are lost Be n ot
a fraid,” sai d the Prophe t, God will pro tect u s .
”
AS the Idolater overtook Mohamme d, hi s horse
reared a n d fell . Stru ck with aw e,h e e n tre ated the
forgi ve n e ss of the m a n whom h e w as pu rsu i n g, a n d
a ske d for a n atte stati o n of h i s pardon . Thi s was
g ive n to him o n a pi e ce of bo n e by Ab fi Bak rs lThe fu g i tive s co n ti n u ed the i r jou rn ey wi thou t fu r
thermole sta ti o n,a n d soo n they rea ched th e terr i tor i e s
of Y athreb . It w a s a hot d ay i n Ju n e 622, of th e
Chr i sti a n e ra, whe n Mohammed a ligh ted from hi s
c ame l u po n the soi l whi ch w as the n ce for th to be com e
h i s home a n d h i s re fu ge . A Jew watchi n g on a towe r /
firs t e spi e d a n d thu s w e re th e w ords of the
I b n -al-A th i r, vol . i i . p . 8 1 .
f I b n - I -I i sham ,p . 331 -332 ; I bn
-al-A thi r, i bi d .
I b n -H i sham p . 334 .
66 MOHAMMED’S ARRIVAL AT MEDINA.
Kora n fu lfilled, They to whom th e Scriptu res have
been given , recogn i se h i m as they do their ow n
Mohamme d a n d h i s com pa n i o n re sted
for a few days1Lat a village calle d Koba,1 S itu ate d o n ly
two m i les to the sou th of Ya thr eb , a n d rem arkable
for i ts beau ty a n d fe rtility . Here he w as j oi n ed by
Ali, who had been severely maltreated by the
Idolaters after their di sappoi n tme n t at Mohammed’ s
escape . § Ali fled from Mecca, a n d j ou rn eyed on
foot, hidin g himself i n the d ay time, a n d travelli n g
o n ly at n ight,lest he shou ld fall in to the ha n ds of
the Koreish .”The Ba n i -Amr-b e n -Au f
,to whom the vi llage b e
lo n ged requ ested Mohammed to prolo n g hi s stay
amon gst them . Bu t the du ty of the Prophet laybefore him ; a n d he proceede d towards Yathreb ,
atten ded by a n u merou s body of his disciples . He
en tered the ci tv on th e morn i n g of a Friday,1 6th
of Rabi I, correspon di n g (accordi n g to M . Cau ss i n
de Percevaljl) wi th the 2n d of Ju ly, 622210 1<
J Thu s was accompli shed the Hijrat, called i n Eu ro
pea n a n n als,
“ The Flight of Mohammed,
” from
which dates the Mohammedan calen dar .
Koran,chap . v i . ver. 20 .
f Mon day, Tu esday, Wed n esday , a n d Thu rsday . I bn -Hi sham,
p . 335 ; I b n -al-Ath ir , vol . i i . p . 83 .
t See D esverg er’
s Abu lfeda, p . 1 1 6,n ote 5 9 .
I b n -al-Athi r, vol . i i . p , 8 0 . ll Ibid . vol . 1 1 . p . 82 .
i f Ca u ssi n d e Perceval, vol . i i i . p . 1 7-20 .
I bn -Hi shz‘
tm, p . 335 ; Abu lfeda ,
p . 30 .
NOTES . 67
NOTE I . TO CHAPTER III .
The “Hej 1ra ,
”or the era of the Hij rat, was i n sti tu te d seve n tee n
years late r by the seco n d Ca l iph . The com m e n cem e n t , however, i sn ot lai d a t the rea l tim e of the departu re from Mecca, whi chhappe n e d on the 4 th of Rabi I
,bu t on the 1st day of the first
lu n ar m on th of the year—Vi z . Mu harram —whi ch d ay, i n the yearwhe n the era was e stabl i shed , fe ll on th e 1 5 th of Ju ly .
B u t thou gh Om ar i n s ti tu te d the Offi cial era, the cu stom of referri n gto eve n ts as happe n i n g before or after the Hij ra t origi n ate d , accordi n g to som e tradi tion s , w i th th e Prophe t him se lf thi s eve n tn atu rally m arki n g the greate st cri s is i n the hi story of h i s m i ss ion .
Com p . Tabari (Zote n berg’
s Tra n s . ) i n loco.
NOTE II . TO CHAPTER III.
The twe lve Moslem m o n ths are,Mu harram (the sacred m o n th)
Safar (the m o n th of departu re ); Rabi I (first m on th of the spri n g) ;Rab i II ( secon d m on th of the Spri n g) ; Jam adi I (first d ry m o n th) ;Jam adi I I (seco n d dry m ou th ); Raj j ab (Respected, called ofte nBajjah-al-m u rajj ah ) ; Shaban ( the m on th of the bu ddi n g of tree s) ;Ram ad han (m o n th of heat) Shaww zi l (m on th of j u n ctio n ) D z fi l
Kada (m on th of tru ce,rest
,or re laxati on ) ; D z fi l-Hajj (m o n th of
pi lgrim age ). The a n ci e n t Arabs Obse rved the l u n ar year of 3 5 4d ays
, 8 hou rs, 48 seco n ds , d ivided i n to 12 m o n ths of 29 an d 30 daysa ltern a tely . I n order to m ake the ir year agree w i th the solar yearof the ir n e ighbou rs , the Greeks an d the Rom an s , a n d also i n orderto m ake the m o n ths fa ll i n the r ight season , they added a m on thevery th ird year . Thi s i n tercalation was calle d Nasi a n d althou ghi t was n ot perfectly exact , i t served to m a i n tai n a sor t of corre la tio nbe twee n the de n om i n a tion of: the m on ths a n d th e seaso n s . S i n ce thesu ppressio n of the Nasi
,on accou n t of th e orgie s a n d variou s hea the n
ri te s observed i n the i n tercalary years , the n am e s of the m on th shave n o relation to the seaso n s .
CHAPTER IV .
FROM th e time Mohammed e n tered Yathreb , h i s
life stan ds ou t i n the mi n u test deta i l . The n ceforth
h e w a s chi e f, lawgive r, a n d su preme m agi stra te , a n d
h is hi story became merged i n the h i story of th e
common wealth whi ch co n s ti tu ted i tse lf arou n d h im .
The two tr ibes of Au s an d Kha sraj, forgetti n g
the ir i n ve terate an d mortal fe u ds i n th e brotherhood
of the fa i th, ralli e d rou n d the sta n dard of Islam a n d
be came th e n u cle u s of the Moslem common wealth .
The Old divi sio n s we r e effaced a n d the n oble
de s ign a ti o n Of An sar (Au xi liari e s) be came the
com m on ti tle of all who had he lpe d Islam i n i ts
hou r of tr ial . The fa i thfu l ba n d whi ch had for sake n
the i r b e love d b irthplace a n d eve ry t i e of home
rece ive d th e n ame— a n d a n oble n am e i t w a s— of
Mu haj e r i n (Em igra n ts or Exiles) .
I n orde r to u n i te the An sar a n d Mu haje ri n i n
c lose r bo n ds, the Prophe t e stabli shed a brothe rhood
be tween them , whi ch li n ked them toge the r i n sorrow
a n d i n happ i n ess .
Yathr eb cha n ged i ts a n ci e n t n ame, a n d was
THE F I RST MOSQ UE OF ISLAM . 69
he n ceforth styled Med i n a t-e n -Na bi , the city of the
Prophet, or shortly, Medi n a, the city .
A mosqu e w as soon bu i lt,i n the erectio n of whi ch
Moham me d ass i sted with h i s ow n han ds a n d hou ses
for the accommod ation of the Emigra n ts rose apace .
Two brothers who ow n ed the la n d on which i t w a s
proposed to bu i ld the mosqu e,had offe red it a s a
free gi ft ; b u t, as they we r e orphan s, the Prophet
pa id them the price at which it wa s valu e d .
The bu ildin g wa s simple i n form a n d stru ctu re,s u i te d to the u n oste n tati ou s religi o n he tau ght h i s
followers . The walls we re of br ick a n d earth, a n d
the roof of palm le aves . A portio n of the mosqu e
w a s se t apar t as a habitatio n for thos e who had n o
home of their ow n .
Everyth i n g in this hu mble place of worship was
c on du cted with the greatest Simpli ci ty . Moham me d
preached an d prayed sta n di n g on the bare grou n d
or lea n i n g agai n st a palm-tr e e,a n d the devote d
he arts arou n d h im beat i n u n i so n wi th h i s sou l
stirri n g w ords .“ He who i s n ot affecti on ate to God’s creatu re s ,an d to h i s ow n chi ldre n ,
” he wou ld say, God wi ll
n ot be affe ctio n ate to h im . Every Moslem who
clothe s the n ake d,wi ll b e clothed by God i n the
green robes of
I n on e of hi s se rm o n s h e thu s dwelt o n th e su bj e ct
of chari ty “ Whe n God created the e arth, i t shook
9“ From Abu Hu raira, Mi shhat, book x i i . chap . i i i . part 1 .
70 LOVE AND CHARITY INCULCATED .
a n d trembled, u nti l He pu t mou n tai n s u pon it to
make it firm . Then the a n gels a sked, O God, is
the re a n ythi n g i n thy crea ti o n stro n ger tha n“ these mou n tai n s ? ’ An d God repli ed
,
‘ Iro n
i s stro n ger tha n the mou n ta i n s,for i t breaks
them .
’ ‘An d i s there a n ythi n g i n thy creatio n
stro n ger than i ro n ? ’ ‘Yes fi re i s stro n ger tha ni ro n , for i t m e lts i t .
’I S there a n ythi n g i n thy
creati o n stro n ger tha n fire ‘Yes water,for i t
qu en ches fire . ’ O Lord,i s ther e a n ythi n g i n thy
cre ati on stro n ger than wa ter ? ’ ‘Y e s ; wi n d, for
it overcom e s water a n d p u ts i t i n moti o n .
’ ‘ Oh,
ou r S u stai n er ! i s there a n ythi n g i n thy creati o nstro n ge r tha n win d ? ’ ‘Y e s ; a good m an g ivi n galm s ; i f he give wi th hi s right ha n d a n d con ce al
i t from h i s left, he ove rcomes all thi n gs . ’
His defin i ti on of char i ty embraced the wide cir cle
of ki n dn e ss : “ Every good ac t,” he wou ld say,
“ i s“ char i ty . You r smi lin g i n you r brothe r’ s face i schar i ty an exhortat i on addressed to you r fellowm e n to do virtu ou s de eds i s e qu al to almsgivi n g .
Pu tti n g a w a n de r e r i n th e right path is char i ty ;a ssi sti n g th e bli n d i s charity removi n g sto n e s
,
a n d thorn s a n d other obs tru cti on s from the road
is char i ty givi n g wate r to the thirsty 1 s chari ty .
”T
“ A man ’ s tru e wealth hereafter i s the good
he doe s i n thi s world to hi s fellow m e n .Whe n
I n exam i n i n g the m oral beau ty of an y particu lar teachin g, we
look to the su bject m a tter a n d n ot to the form .
j' From Ab u Sa id Khaz ri .
72 LOVE AND CHAR I TY .
n o o n e , a n swered the Prophe t . From that
time ,” says Ab d Jfir iya
,I n ever abu sed a n y on e ,
whether freema n or Slave .
The teachi n gs of Islam exten ded to the cou rtesi e s
of life . Make a salam (or salu tatio n ) to th e
“ dwell ers of a hou se o n e n teri n g a n d leavin g i t . >i<
Retu rn the salu te of fri en ds a n d acqu ai n ta n ces, a n d
wayfarers o n the road . He who rides mu st be the
fi rst to make the salu te to him who walks he who
walks to h im who is sitti n g ; a small party to a
large party, a n d the you n g to the old . T
Com pare Koran , chap . xx i v . vv . 27 28 , 6 1 , an d 62 .
1' From Ab i i Hu rai rah
,M i shhat, Bk . xxi i . chap . 1. P t . 1 . I n
g ivi n g the se precepts of Moham m ed, I have , w i th very slightvariation , adopted the la n gu age ofWa sh i n gto n Irvi n g . Be s i de s th erefere n ce s already gi ve n , co n su lt the Ki tab—u l-M u statri f, chaps . iv . v .
x . x u . X l l l . X IX . x x u . xx111 . a n d x x v . The M u statri f’ give s fu lly the
refe re n ce s to T erm i z i , Mu sli m , a n d B u khari . Con su l t also th eMaja
‘
tlis-u l-Abrar,’
Maj lis (Sean ce), 8 4 .
l A .H .,19 th APR I L , 622 , To 7 th MAY
,623
,A .O.
THE Jews who lived either i n Medi n a or its vicin itycon stitu te d a powerfu l elemen t of dan ger to the n ew
state . At first,they had expected that i n Mohammed
wou ld be re ali sed the dreams of ce n tu ri es ; that he
wou ld be thei r Aven ger-[
the Messi ah of thei r b e li e f.
D i sappoi n te d an d e n raged by the catholici ty of h i s
faith,they became his de adly e n em i es . The popu lar
excitemen t whi ch hi s arrival had created had com
pelle d them to ma i n tain for a time a pe acefu l a tti tu de
towards the Prophet of the Ge n til es (Nabi - i -Ummi)Mohammed tri e d to e n li st their sym pathy i n hi s
w ork how far he su cceeded i n molli fyi n g thei r
hard n ess of heart will be u n folded i n the sequ e l .
Immedi ate ly after h i s arrival, Mohamme d had
gra n ted them a char ter, g u ara n teei n g all civi l rights
Um u n, (com m o n folk, th e hea the n s), has the sam e s ign ifica tion
as th e word Ge n ti le s i n the hi story of Chri stia n i ty, thou gh som e
com m e n tators tran slate i t as u n le arn ed,” a n d m ake i t a n adj ectiveof Nabi . The form er sig n ificatio n appears to m e , how ever , the m os taccu rate , as w i ll be see n o n com pari n g verse 1 9 of chap . i ii . The
Fam i ly of Im ran Of the Kora n .
74 THE CHARTER OF MOHAMMED .
a n d perfect freedom i n the Observa n ces of thei r
religio n . Hitherto we have seen the Prophet o n ly
i n the light of a Preache r n ow ,i n h i s co n ceptio n of
the relative rights a n d du ties of i n div idu als a n d
n ati on s, he stan ds forth a s the m aster-mi n d, n ot
o n ly of hi s ow n ag e , as Mu i r says, b u t of all age s .
The pr i n cipal provi si o n s of thi s extraordi n ary docu
me n t,as far a s they embody ge n eral ru les, ar e a s
follow “ I n the n ame of the most merci fu l a n d
compassi o n ate God . Thi s charter, give n by MO
hammed,the Prophet, to the Believers, whether
of the Korei sh or of Yathreb , a n d a ll i n dividu als
of whatever origin who have made commo n cau se
with them —all these Shall co n sti tu te on e n atio n .
”
Then , after regu latin g the payme n t of the D 'ia t by
th e variou s cla n s, a n d fi xi n g some wise ru les regard
i n g the private du tie s of Moslems, as betwe en
themse lve s, the docu me n t proceeds thu s The
state of peace a n d w ar Shall be commo n to all
Moslems ; n o on e amo n g them Shall have the right
of co n clu di n g pe ace wi th, or de clarin g war aga i n st,the e n emi e s Of hi s co-religi o n i sts . The Jews who
attach themse lves to ou r commo n wealth Shall be
prote cted from all in su l ts a n d vexati o n s they
shall have a n equ al right wi th ou r ow n people to
ou r a ssi sta n ce a n d good offices the Jews of the
variou s bra n ches of Awf, Najjar,Hftr i th
,Jashm ,
D iat , w ehrge ld , price which a hom i cide had to pay to the fam i lyof the v ictim , if they co n se n ted to i t .
THE CHARTER OF MOHAMMED . 75
Théilaba, Au s, a n d all othe rs domi ci le d i n Ya thr eb,
shall form wi th th e Moslems o n e compos i te n ati o n—they shall practi se the ir religi o n a s free ly as the
Moslems — the cli e n ts* an d alli es of the Jew s Shall
e n joy the same secu r i ty a n d freedom —the gu ilty
Shall be p u rsu ed a n d p u n ished - the Jews shall
j oin the Moslems i n defe n di n g Ya thr eb (Medi n a)aga i n st all e n emi es — the i n teri or of Yathreb Shall
be a sacred place for all who accept thi s charter
the cli en ts a n d alli es of the Moslems a n d the Jews
shall be a s re specte d a s the pa tron s — all tru e MOS
lems Sha ll hold i n abhorre n ce every m an gu i lty of
cr ime,i n ju sti ce
,or d i sorder ; n o on e shall u phold
the cu lpable,thou gh h e were h i s n eare st k i n .
The n , after some other provi si o n s regardi n g the
i n te r n a l ma n ageme n t of the state thi s extra
ordi n ary docu me n t con clu ded thu s All fu tu re
dispu tes between those who accept thi s charter
Shall b e referred, u n der God, to the Prophet .’
1
A death-blow w as thu s give n to that a n arch ic
cu stom of the Arabs which had , hi therto, oblige d
th e aggri eved a n d the i n j u red to rely u po n hi s ow n
or hi s ki n smen ’ S power i n orde r to exact ve n gea n ce
or sati sfy the requ i rem en ts of j u sti ce . It co n stitu te d
Mohammed the chief magi strate of the n ati o n , as
t . e . , the protected .
1' I b n -H isham
,pp . 34 1—343 . The qu a i n t n ess of thi s docu m e n t
h as led m e to para phrase i t,i n order to throw i n to greater rel ie f i ts
real worth .
76 THE HOST I L I TY OF THE JEWS .
mu ch by h is Prophe tic fu n cti on a s by a v irtu al com
pact between himself a n d the people .
2 A .H . , 7th MAY , 623, To 26th APR I L ,624
,A C .
The Jew i sh tribe s of the Ban i-Nadh i r, Ban i
Ku rai z ha, a n d Ban i Ka i n u ka,settled i n th e vici n i ty
of Medi n a , wer e n ot a t first i n clu ded i n this charter ;b u t afte r a short time they too gratefu lly a ccepted
its term s .
NO ki n dn e ss or ge n erosity, however, on the part
of the Prophet wou ld sati sfy th e Jews ; n othi n g
cou ld co n ci li ate the b itter feeli n gs wi th which they
we re an imated .
Be sides the Jews,Mohammed a n d his followers
had a n othe r cau se of a n xi e ty wi thin th e w alls of
Medi n a . The party of Abdu llah-ib n -Ubbay>l< (who
had at on e ti m e a spi red to the regal dign ity),a ctu ated by j e alou sy of the foreign elem e n t i n tr o
d u ce d amo n gst them, w er e ever re ady , j oi n tly wi th
those who stil l remai n e d attached to the Old i dolatrou s fa ith, to de fe a t all the high a spi rati o n s of
Mohammed . They kept u p a co n ti n u al i n te rcou rsew i th the Kore i sh of Mecca
,who thu s posse sse d
perfe ct k n owledge of all that w a s goi n g o n i n
Medi n a , a n d were we ll acqu ai n ted wi th th e exa ct
stre n gth of the Moslems . They also k n ew that the
Jews had accepted Mohammed’s allia n ce o n ly from
Thi s party has becom e hi stori ca l,u n der the n am e ofMu m cifakt n ,
the d isaffected ,”or hypocri te s .” —Kora n
,ch . xli i i . I b n -H isham ,
pp . 363, 41 1 .
THE HOSTILITY OF THE KOREI SII . 7 7
m otives of temporary expedi en cy a n d that th e m o
m e n t they Showed themselves u n der the walls ofJ
Medi n a, the wor shippe rs of Jehovah wou ld bre ak
away from h im a n d joi n their con fe d e racy f l<
The o n ly qu e sti o n w as Shou ld they wa i t till the ir
ou tgoi n g caravan s had retu r n ed, or Shou ld they str ike
the blow at o n ce They re solved to adopt the form e r
cou rse rl' It be came n ow the du ty of Mohammed to
take measu res for the preven tio n of the dreaded
catastrophe, whi ch wou ld have followed a su dden
attack by the Kor e i sh on Medi n a . He w a s n ow n ot
Simply a pre acher, b u t gu ardi a n of the lives a n d
libe rti es of hi s people ; hi s d e stru cti on mean t the ir
de stru cti o n . He w as thu s bou n d to che ck h i s e n emi e s
before they had con su mmated their de sig n of bri n g
The se Jew s whe n asked which they preferred, Moham m ed’steach i n gs or Idolatry ,
repl i ed u n he s i ta ti n gly,Idolatry .
1 I here adopt the n otio n ge n erally rece i ved tha t th e Kore i sh wa i tedto str ike the blow (whi ch they im agi n ed wou ld com ple te ly cru sh theMoslem s) ti ll the ir cam /van s had re tu rn ed . For m y part , however , Ido n ot be l i eve the Kore i sh w ere so forbeari n g an d ge n tle as the irm odern advocate s We i l , Mu i r a n d Spre n ge r wou ld fa i n repre se n tthem to be . The Koran i s th e m ost fa i thfu l i n dex to the hi story of thetim e s, a n d there i t i s d i sti n ctly said, A n d those w ho of the i r ow naccord a ssau lted you first
,
” chap . i x .
'
v . 1 3 . Thi s passage doe sn ot refe r to the breach of the tru ce of Hu d e ibé, for th i s was m ere lya breach Of fa i th , an d n ot a direct a ssau lt on th e Med i n i tes . It refers,as Al-Jan n abi (qu oted by Gagn i er , V ie d e Mahom e t) rightly th i n ks ,to the a ttack of the Idola ters
,or th e preparation s for su ch at t tack on
th e Moslem s . Com p . also o n thi s su bject, Zam akh sh ri (The Kassh zi f)
Egypt ian Ed . p . 3 14 - 1 5 ; a n d the Tafs i r-Hu sa i n i , M i rat Ed . p . 30 4 .
78 THE HOSTILI TY OF THE KOREISH .
i n g down u po n the Moslems a hu n d re d co n fe derated
tribe s .
Wi th thi s pu rpose , a n d with the object of drivi n g
in the ou tposts of the en emy,a n d secu ri n g the adhe
si o n of tr i be sfl< whose proximi ty to Medi n a wou ld
have made them da n gerou s e n emie s i n case of a n yhostile a ttack from withou t
,Mohamme d di spatched
several small bodi es of m e n u n der Ham za,his u n cle
,
Oba ida-I b n -Hfir i th,h i s cou si n
, a n d other ch i efs d‘
Like tru e son s of the desert,when ever the hostile
partie s met, they separated withou t bloodshed, afte r
cha n ti n g the pra i ses of them respective warri ors, or
di schargi n g a few arrows . The Korei sh, however,were growi n g weary of i n actio n . They had alre ady
afforded in timati on of the i r de sign s by a ra id,which
o n e of the i r n ote d chiefs,Ku rz - ib n -Jfib er,the Fi hr i t e , i
m ade u po n th e terr i tor i es of Medi n a,ravagin g
a lmost u p to the walls of th e ci ty, an d carryi n g off
a n en ormou s herd of came ls . The Moslems pu r su edh im a s far as Safw an ,
i n the vi cin i ty of Badr, b u t the
marau der e scap ed in to the Me ccan bou n daries withh i s booty . §I n the mo n th of Rajjab of the second year [No
T hu s the Ba n i Dham ra, Ban i Mu dl ij , an d other bra n che s of thelarge tribe of Ki n an a w ere secu red, whose ra ids , i n case of hosti l i ty,wou l d have proved de stru ctive to the Med i n i te flocks
.
1' Tabari , vol . i i . p . 468 , et seq . ; I bn -Hi sham
,p . 4 1 0 , et seq.
1 Fih ri te i s equ iva le n t to Kore i shi te, vid . Cau ss i n d e Perceval ,vol . i i i . p . 30 , n ote .
I bn - I l ishdm ,p . 423 .
80 THE HOSTILI TY OF THE KORE I SH .
Mohammed .* Those Moslems
,who were sti ll i n
the power of th e Kore i sh, se n t to en qu ire from
Moham m ed wha t an swe r shou ld be made to the se
sla n de rs The reply was i n th e words of the
Kora n They wi ll ask thee con cern i n g the sacre d
mo n ths ; say , i t i s a grave crime to fight therei n
b u t to tu r n away m e n from the path of God, n ot
to b e li eve i n Hi m ,a n d to expel Hi s people from
Hi s Temple i s a more seriou s offe n ce before Him .
”1~
The two pri so n ers were soo n set a t liberty . I I n the
mean time,the Korei sh were bu sy collecti n g thei r
stren gth for the deci sive attack they were m ed i tat
i n g . The Meccan carava n s w ere already on their
way home . The chie f on e w as soo n to e n ter Mecca,wi th the wealth of Syri a a n d mu n i ti o n s of w ar s u p
pli ed by the n eighbou ri n g empi re . Wi th the i n stin ct
of se lf-preservati o n , the Moslem s were a n xiou s to
preve n t the se carava n s reachi n g the ha n ds of thei r
e n emi es . The Me d i n i t e s, extremely jealou s of the
A s i t has fu rn i shed Chri s tian wri ters of the pre se n t ag e .
1 Kora n , chap . i i . verse 2 14 ; I bn -Hi sh zi m,p . 425 Tabari
,
vol . i i . p . 47 6 .
i; Th i s affa i r of Abdu llah- ibn -Jahsh requ i re s a few words m ore .
The le tter was g ive n to h im i n order tha t i n te llige n ce of h is rou tem ight n ot be con veyed to the Idolaters
,as Mu i r him self adm i ts
(vol . i i i . p . 7 1 , n ote) . I fMoham m ed had ordered Abdu llah to attackthe carava n s . the cou n ci l wh i ch i t i s adm i tted was he ld by h im pre
vion s to the figh t wou ld n ot have bee n held ; he wou ld have sim plyobeyed the i n j u n ction s of the Prophe t . B u t as Tabar i d i sti n ctlysay s (vol . i i . p . 473) Moham m ed had strictly e n j o i n ed I b n -Jahsh n ot
to fight .
THE BATTLE OF REDR . 8 1
commercial prosperity of the rival ci ty ,>l< regarde d
thi s a s a favou rable oppor tu n ity Of diverti n g th e
commerce of Syri a to thei r town , a n d cordi ally
a ssi ste d i n the fru strati o n of the Mecca n de sig n s .
Thi s caravan w a s comma n ded by Abd Su fi zi n , the
son of Harb, a n d con si sted of a thou sa n d came ls .Three hu n dred a n d fou rtee n m e n proceeded fromMedi n a to i n tercept it . Ab Su fian
,however
, r e
c e iv ed timely warn i n g, a n d immediately sen t to the
Meccan s for su ccou r . Hi s call was at o n ce r e
spon d e d to by a thou sa n d we ll-equ ipped warri ors -
1:
The Moslems proceede d to th e valley called Be d r,where they expecte d to fi n d the carava n an d i ts
d efen ders . Bu t the wary Abfi Su fian, apprised of
their rou te, tu rn ed a s ide i n to an other road an d
reached Mecca i n safety . 1 He the n ce despatched a
messe n ger to Ab Jahl,§ who com ma n ded the
Meccan warriors, to i n form h i m that the caravan was
S i n ce the tim e Hashim , the great-gran dfa ther of the Prophe t,had e stablish ed x the cu stom of se n di n g two great expedi tion s , exclusi ve of m i n or o n e s—I n w i n ter i n to Y em e n , a n d i n s u m m er i n toSyria—th e com m erce of th e Kore i sh had deve loped i n a n extraordin arym a n n er .
1' I bn -al-Ath i r
,vol . 11 . p . 9 2 ; Tabari , vol . i i . p . 48 8 .
I I b n -Hi shzi m , p . 437; Tabari , vol . i i . p . 489 ; I bn -al-A th i r , vol i i:p . 93 .
Thi s Ab iI Jahl was th e sam e m a n who had proposed the assassi
n ation of Moham m ed, see a n te p . 63 . Hi s rea l n am e was Ab u lHakam , Fa ther of Ju dgm e n t,” wh ich the Moslem s
,o n accou n t of
h i s i n te n se b i g otry, chan ged i n to Ab ii Jahl, “ Fa ther of Ig n ora n ce .
”
G
82 THE BATTLE OF BEDR .
ou t of da n ger, a n d to advise h i m to retu rn . A par ty
of the Kore i sh we re di sposed to li ste n to thi s advi ce,
b u t the prou d Ab fi Jahl wou ld n ot hear of a re treat,u n ti l he had destroyed Mohamme d , a n d left a
gloriou s memory of hi s exploit to poste ri ty .
“ Le t
u s go forward to Be d r, a n d there, by the fou n ta i n ,
spe n d three d ays ,>l< eati n g a n d dr i n k i n g ; all Arabi a
wi ll hear of i t, a n d wi ll ever after sta n d i n aw e of
u s Thu s, su re of vi ctory, he arrive d a t Be dr,
where he fou n d the fu gitive from Mecca already
establi shed . When Moham med saw the army of the
Idolaters arroga n tly advan ci n g in to the valley,i n
relian ce on the ir n u mbe rs, ra i si n g his han ds towards
the heaven s like the Prophe ts of Israe l,he praye d
that h i s li ttle ba n d might not be destroyed . O
Lord forget n ot thy promi se of assi sta n ce .0 Lord, i f thi s li ttle ba n d we r e to peri sh there wi ll
be n o n e to Offe r u n to thee pu re worship .
”1
Three of the Koreish advan ced in to the OpenSpace which divided the Moslems from the Idolaters, a n d , a ccordi n g to Arab u sage
,challe n ged three
champio n s from the Mosle m ran ks to Sin gle combat .Ham za, Ali , a n d Obai dah accepte d thei r challe n ge
,
a n d came ou t co n qu erors . The e n gageme n t the nbecame ge n eral . At on e time , the fortu n es of the
I b n -Hi sham , p . 438 I bn -al-Athi r, vol . 11 . p . 93 Tabari ,vol . i i . p . 49 0 , says te n days .
1 I b n -Hi shft m , p . 444 I b n —al-A th i r, vol . i i . p . 9 7 .
DEFEAT OF THE I DOLATERS . 83
fi e ld wave red,b u t the eloqu en t appeal made by
Mohamme d to h i s pe ople,arou si n g the i r sen se of
du ty,deci ded the fate of the ba ttle .
“ It was a
stormy wi n ter d ay . A pi erc i n g bla st swept across
th e valley .
” It seemed as i f the a n gels of heave n
wer e w arr i n g for the Moslems . In deed,to the ear n est
mi n ds of Mohamme d a n d h i s follower s, who, like the
early Chr istia n s, saw God’s Provi de n ce “ i n all the
gi fts of n atu r e, i n eve ry relati o n of life , a t each
tu rn of their affair s, i n dividu al or pu blic, -to
them th e s e blasts Of w i n d a n d sa n d, the eleme n ts
warr i n g aga i n st the e n em i es of God,i n that cri ti ca l
mome n t , appeared ver i table su ccou r sen t from
Heave n — as an gels ridi n g on the wings of the wi n d
a n d drivin g the fa i thle ss Idolaters before them i n
con fu s ion fi l< The Mecca n s were driven back with
great loss ; ma n y of thei r chi efs were Sla i n ; a n d
Ab Jahl fe ll a vi ctim to h i s u n ru ly pr i d e f tA large n u mbe r remai n ed pr iso n ers i n the ha n ds
of the Moslems,b u t on ly two of the m were execu ted .
They had been n oted for their vi ru le n t a n imosi ty
Koran ,chap . v i i i . verse 9 ; an d chap . i ii . verse s 1 1 , 1 1 9 ,
1 20,
a n d 1 2 1 . Com p . also,Mu i r
,vol . i i i . p . 1 0 6 . See Note I . to thi s
chapte r .
T I bn -Hi sham,p . 443, e t seq . ; I b n -al-A thlr
,vol . 1 1 . p . 9 6, et seq .
Si r W . Mu i r m e n tio n s that whe n the head of Ab i i Jah l was brou ghtt o Moham m e d , h e exclaim ed “ It i s m ore acceptable to m e tha n th e
choi ce st cam e l i n all Arab ia . I do n ot fi n d th i s passage i n a n y of
m y au thori ti es, wherever therefore i t m ay be fou n d i t i s apocrypha l ;for had i t bee n ge n u i n e , I b n -Hi sham ,
I bn -al-Ath i r , Abu lfeda a n d
Tabari , or som e on e of them wo u ld have m e n tio n ed i t .
G 2
84 KIND TREATMENT OF THE PRISONERS .
towards the followers of the n ew fa i th, a n d by the
laws of war amo n g the Arabs they n ow paid the
pen alty of thei rThe rest of th e pr iso n ers were treated with the
gre atest hu ma n ity . The Prophet gave strict orders
that respect shou ld be paid to th eir mi sfortu n es, an d
that they Shou ld be treated with ki n dn e ss . The
Moslems to whose care he co n fided them, fa ithfu lly
obeyed h 1 s I n stru ctio n s .
They Shared the ir ow n food with the priso n ers,
givin g them the bre ad whi ch form ed the be st par t
of the ir repast, a n d co n ten ti n g themse lves wi th dates
alon e . 1‘ The rich were soo n after ra n somed b u t the
poor were released on pledgi n g thei r word n ever
ag a i n to fight agai n st the Moslems . At the de si re
of the Prophe t some of the more e du cate d ra n somed
themselves by givi n g i n stru cti o n to the Me d i n i t e
you ths .
Nadhr son OfHari th,th e m a n referred to i n verse 32 of chap .
v i i i . of the Kora n , (see also Abu lfe da, p . an d Okba son of Abu
Mu ai t, who u sed Ofte n to m altreat the Moslem s i n an ou trage ou s
a n d cru e l m a n n er . Com p . Cau ssi n d e Perceval, vol . v i i i . p . 70 ;
I bn H i sham , p . 4 5 8 ; Tabari , vol . i i . p . 5 1 8 an d the M ishkei t,book
xxi v . chap . 5 , part i .
f I b n -Hi sham,pp . 4 5 9 -460 ; Cau ssi n d e Perceva l , vol . i i i . p . 79 .
M u ir speaks thu s “ I n pu rsu an ce of Mahom e t’ s com m a n ds , thec i ti ze n s Of Medi n a , a n d su ch of the Refu ge es a s posse ssed hou se s ,re ce ived th e pri son e rs, a n d tre a ted them w i th m u ch con s i d eration .
Bless i n gs be on the m e n of Medi n a 1’ sai d on e of these pr i son ersi n later days ‘ they m ade u s ride
,whi le they them se lves walke d
they gave u s Whe ate n bread to e at whe n there w as li ttle of i t ’
con te n ti n g them se lves w i th dates . ’ —vol . i i i . p . 1 22 .
DIVIS I ON OF THE SPOI L . 8 5
The divi si o n of the Spoil gave ri se to sharp di sse n
si o n s am o n g the Moslem soldi ery . For th e pre sen t,Mohammed calme d their dispu te s by dividi n g i t
e qu ally amon gst all . >l< Bu t a s su ch di sse n si o n s am on g
a n u n ru ly pe ople were likely to lead to mi schi e f, th e
Prophe t,wi th a vi ew to preve n t all fu tu re qu arre ls
over Spoi l acqu ired i n w ar,promu lgated a spe ci al
law whi ch i s i n corporated i n the chapte r of th e Korfi n ,
e n ti tle d a l-An j al (th e spoi ls) . By thi s law th e divi
si o n of the Spoi ls wa s left to th e d i scre ti o n of th e
chi ef of the commo n we alth ; a fifth bei n g re serve d
for th e pu bli c tre asu ry; From thi s fifth (whi ch i n
clu ded the du e s of the Prophet as head of the State ,)the poor
,orphan s
,a n d i n dige n t stran gers we re to
be main tain ed -
1
It i s rem arkable,says Sale , tha t the di spu te am on g MO
ham m ed’
s m e n abou t shari n g the booty at Bed r, arose on the sam e
occasion as d i d that am on g Davi d ’s soldi ers i n relatio n to the spoi lstake n from the A m a leki te s those who h ad bee n i n the actioni n s i sti n g tha t they who tarri ed by the stu ff shou ld have n o part ofth e spoi l ; a n d that the sam e deci sion was gi ve n i n both cases . whi chbecam e a law for the fu tu re , to w i t, that they shou ld part alike .
”
(Bre l . D i sc . sect . v i . )j' Koran
,chap . v i i i . v . 42 . Thou gh th e di stribu tion was left to th e
d i scre tion Of the chi ef of the Sta te , certai n cu stom s w ere i n vari ablyObserved wh i ch u n der the caliphs becam e precede n ts, a n d thu s gavea m ore defi n i te shape to the law . Com p . M . Q u erry
’s Sple n d id work ,
e n ti tled Droi t Mu su lm an, (Pari s 1 8 7 1 tom e i . p . 335 .
86 NOTES .
NOTE I . TO CHAPTER V .
The few sim ple tou ches i n the Kora n , which br i n g i n to vivid pro
m i n e n ce the poe ti c e lem e n t of the co n ceptio n of the an ge ls Of heave nfighti n g for what the Moslem s be li eved to be the j u st cau se , w i ll n ot
yi e ld i n beau ty or su blim i ty to th e m ost e loqu e n t w ords of th e
Psalm i st . In deed, the sam e poe ti c character i s v i s1ble i n both ofthem PS. xv i i i .Probably Moham m ed
,like Je su s a n d other grea t m oral teachers
of the WOI 1d , be lieved i n th e exi ste n ce Of i n term ed iate be i n gs, celesti alm e sse n ger s from God to m a n . The m oder n d i sbe l i ef i n a n ge ls fu r
n i shes n o reaso n for ri dicu l i n g the n otio n s of ou r forefathers . O u r
d i sbe li e f i s as m u ch Op e n to the n am e of su persti tion as the i r be li ef
o n ly on e i s n egative, the other i s pos i ti ve su persti tio n . Wha t w e , i n
m odern tim e s,look u pon as th e pri n ciple s of n atu re , they looked u pon
a s a n ge ls,m i n i stra n ts of he ar e n . Whe ther there exi st i n term ed iate
be i n gs, as Locke thi n ks, be tw ee n God an d m an, j u st as the re are
i n te rm ediate be i n gs be tw ee n m a n a n d th e low e st form of a n im alcreation
,i s a qu estio n too deep to be fa thom e d by hu m a n i n ge n u i ty .
Moham m ed also like Jesu s probably beli eved i n the exi ste n ce ofthe Pri n ciple of Evi l as a perso n al e n ti ty . B u t an an alysi s of h i s
words reveal a m ore ra tio n a listi c e lem e n t , a s u bj ective co n cepti on ,clothed i n words su i ted for the apprehe n s ion of h i s followers . Whe nsom ebody a sked h im where Sa tan li ved
,h e repli ed
,
“ i n the bosomof m a n .
Th e be li ef i n an ge ls a n d d evi ls has gi ve n ri se to an extraord i n aryn u m ber of lege n ds both i n Islam an d i n Chri stia n i ty . The sai n ts ofheave n an d a n ge ls figh t for th e Chri s ti an . Th e Moslem tri e s as
m u ch as possible to leave th e sai n ts to them se lves, an d on ly acceptsthe ass ista n ce of a n ge ls i n the battle s of li fe . Trad i tion con vertsthe Phari see who tem pted Je su s, i n to th e veri table Pri n ce of He ll . ‘
All the Schle i erm acher school be li eve the Tem pter to have be e nthe head prie st . Milm an m e n t io n s th i s Vi ew as well as th e pa tri sti ca n d orthodox on e
,b u t dexterou sly leave s for the reade r to choose
wh ich he l ike s . The chapter of Re u ss on A n g e ls, (Hi s t . of Chri st .
88 NOTES .
character (on e of whose n oble st tra i ts was hi s love for chi ldre n ,a n d
who a lways i n cu lcated love an d protection of orphan s , as an absolu tedu ty
, an d a n act m ost acceptable to GOd ,)—tha t i t i s hardly n eces
sary to s earch for i ts tru e origi n . Chri stia n wri ters, however, seemto gloat over i t, a n d he n ce i t becom es n e edfu l to exam i n e how the
story arose .
I t origi n a ted m os t probably from th e sobriqu e t of Stbyat- n n -Nri r
(ch i ldre n Of fi re ) appl i ed to the chi ldre n of Okba . Okba him se lfbe lo n ged to the tribe Of Aj lan ,
*a bra n ch of whi ch i n habi ted certai n
valleys n ear Safrzi , a n d were kn ow n by the n am e of Ban ou -u n -Nar
(chi ldre n or de sce n dan ts of fi re) . The sobri qu e t was probably deri vedfrom thi s ci rcu m stan ce a n d the story of Moham m e d ’s reply fromthe n i ckn am e .
A n other s tory Of Moham m ed ’s havi n g b i tterly apostrophi sed thedead of the Idolaters On the i r b u rial i s
,to say the least
,di storted .
Tabari thu s n arrates the ci i cu m sta n ce wh i ch has gi ve n r i se to thi scalu m n y The Prophe t placed h im se lf by the side of th e largegrave or pi t whi ch had bee n prepare d for th e corpses an d as th e
bodi es we re low ered , the n am e s w e re ca lled ou t, a n d Moham m ed
the n u ttered these w ords, You, m y k i n d I ed , you accu sed m e of ly i n g,
w he n others beli eved i n m e ; you drove m e from m y hom e , whe nothers rece i ved m e
, what desti n y has been you rs ! A las, all that
God thr ea te n ed i s fu lfilled .
’ These words whi ch w ere palpablym ean t to expre s s p i ty , have be e n d i storted to i m ply b i tter n ess .
Aghan i , accord i n g to M . C . de Perceval,vol . i i i . p . 70 .
j I bn -H isham,p . 45 8 .
2 624 A .O .
SUCCESS is always on e of the greatest criterio n s of
tr u th ; a n d i t i s n ot so wi th th e vu lgar alon e . Eve n
i n the early days of Chri sti a n i ty, the good Pharise e
sai d, Let them alon e if these m e n b e false, they
will come to n ou ght, or e lse you you rse lve s Shall
per i sh .
” If Con sta n ti n e had n ot see n or fa n cied
h e had see n the n otable cross i n the heave n s if he
had n ot mar ched to su ccess u n der its a u spi ces ; if
i t had n ot led him on to victory a n d to the thro n e,
w e ca n hardly con ceive what w ou ld have b e e n the
fate of Chr i stia n i ty . What the victory of Be d r w as
for I slzi m ,the Vi ctory of the Mi lv i an Bridge w as for
Chr i st ian i ty fl< It the n ceforth ru led from the thron e
of the Caesars .
For the Moslems, the vi ctory of Be dr w as i n de ed
most a u spi ci ou s . It w as n ot su rpri si n g tha t they,
The Chri sti an s them se lve s look u pon the defeat ofMax e n t i u s byCon sta n ti n e (3 1 2 A . O . ) a s the greates t tri u m ph of the ir fai th . The
chapter of G ibbo n , m i n gled sat i re a n d hi story a s i t i s, i s on e of the
greate st m o n u m e n ts of h i stori c ge n i u s,vol . i i i . chap . xx . Th i s
battle was fou ght at Saxa Ru bra,w i th i n n i n e m i le s of Rom e , n ear
the li ttle r iver Crem era, span n ed by the Pon s M I lvi u s .
90 CONSEQ UENCES OF THE MOSLEM V I CTORY .
like the Isra eli te s or Chri s tia n s of yore, saw the
han d Of Providen ce i n thei r s u cce ss ove r th e Idola
ters. Had the Moslems fa i led, we can imagi n e what
their fate wou ld have be e n —a u n iversal massacr e .
Whi lst Mohammed w as e n gage d i n thi s expedi
ti o n , he lost on e of hi s 'favou r i te dau ghters, Ru
kaiya marr ied to Oth m ei n,who had o n ly rece n tly
retu rn ed from th e Abyssi n i a n exi le . Bu t the fu ry
a n d the de sire for reven ge with whi ch the Idolater s
were bu r n i n g d id n ot allow h im time to in du lge i n
domesti c sorrow . As soo n a s all the Koreishi te
prison ers had re tu rn ed home, Abfi Su fi é‘
tn issu ed
forth from Mecca wi th two hu n dred well-equ ippe d
horsemen,vowi n g solem n ly n ever to retu rn u n ti l he
had ave n ged himself on Mohammed a n d h i s follow
ers . Se c u ri n g the cou n try to wi thi n a few mi le s of
Medin a, he came dow n wi th a fell swoop o n the u n
prepared Mosle m s, Slay i n g the pe ople, ravagi n g the
fie lds, a n d b u rn i n g the d ate-groves whi ch fu r n i shed
the staple food of the-
Arabs . The Meccan s had
provi de d themselves wi th sacks of meal for the
foray . AS soon,h oweve r, as the Mosl ems salli e d
forth from Me di n a to ave n ge the mu rders,the
Mecca n s tu r n ed bridle a n d fled, dropp i n g th e sacks
i n order to lighte n thei r horses ; whe n ce thi s affa i r
was deri sive ly called by the Moslems, Gha zwa t-a s
saw ik, The battle of thex
m e al-Sacks .”
It w as o n thi s occas io n , accordi n g to th e a u tho
r i ti e s of Washi n gto n Irvi n g, tha t the Prophet gave
92 THE I DOLATERS MARCH UPON MEDINA.
t u d i n ou s hordes of Xerxes to the Gre cian s tates .
Marchi n g u n de r th e comman d of the rele n tless Ab ii
Su fian , a n d meeti n g wi th n o opposi tio n from a n y side,they took u p a well-chosen posi ti o n to the n orth
east of Medi n a, where o n ly the hill of Ob od a n d a
valley separated them from the devoted ci ty . From
thi s safe va n tage-grou n d they ravage d th e fields a n d
fru i t-groves Of the Me d i n i t e s .
Forced by the e n thu siasm of his followers, a n d
by their fu ry at the destru ctio n of the ir property,Mohammed marched ou t of Medi n a wi th a thou san d
m e n . The i ll-co n cealed en mi ty of the Jews led to
the defecti on of Abdu llah ib n Ubbay, the leader of the
Mu n afi k i n, (the Hypocrites), wi th three hu n dre d of
hi s followers . Thi s deserti o n r edu ced the stre n gth of
Mohammed’s small for ce to seve n hu n dred m e n,who
o n ly possessed two horses amo n gst them . Bu t sti ll
thi s galla n t ba n d advan ced steadi ly o n . Marchi n g
qu i etly throu gh groves of fr u i t-tre es,they soo n
gai n ed th e hi ll of Chod . They pa ssed the n ight i na defile an d i n the morn i n g
, afte r offeri n g prayers
a s they stood i n arms, they debou ched i n to the plai n .
Mohammed n ow took u p h i s posi ti o n immedi ate ly
u n der th e hi ll . Posti n g a few arche rs o n a height
behi n d the troops, he gave them stri ct i n j u n ctio n s
n ot to aba n do n thei r place whateve r happen ed,b u t
to hara ss the cavalry of the e n emy, a n d prote ct the
flan ks of th e Moslem s . Th e Idolaters,co n fide n t i n
the ir n u mbers, marched down i n to the plain with
BATTLE OF OHOD . 93
their i dols i n the ce n tre of thei r army, a n d th e
wives of th e chi e fs cha n ti n g the ir w ar -so n gs a n d
beati n g the ir t im b re ls fi < The first o n slau ght of the
Koreish was fe arfu l, b u t the Moslems repu lse d them
brave ly . These latter,u n der Ham z ft
,se e in g thei r
co n fu sion,dashed i n to thei r midst, deali n g blow s
o n all Sides . Victory had a lmost declared for th e
Moslems,whe n th e archers, forgetti n g the i n ju n e
ti o n of Mohammed, a n d se ei n g the e n emy i n flight,di spersed i n search of plu n d e r d
‘ Khalid b e n Walid,o n e of th e Korei sh
, at o n ce perce ived their error,a n d rallyin g the horse
,fe ll on the rear of the Mos
lems . i The i n fa n try of the Korei sh also tu rn ed,
a n d the troops of the Prophe t,take n both i n rear
a n d fro n t, had to ren ew the battle at fearfu l odds .
Some of the bravest chiefs i n the Moslem army
fe ll fightin g . The i n trepi d Ham z zi,wi th seve ral
others,w as kille d ; Ali , .who had chivalrou sly a n
sw ere d the first call of defia n ce (Raj z ) of the Idola
Extracts from the ir war-son gs are give n by I bn -H i sham,p . 5 62 .
Cou rage ! ye ch i ldre n of Abd -u d -Dar cou rage defe n ders ofwom e n strike hom e w i th the edge s of you r swords . A n other i s
reallv beau ti fu l “ W e are dau ghters Of the star of the m or n w e
tread softly on cu sh ion s : face the e n em y boldly , a n d w e Shal lpre ss you i n ou r arm s fly
,an d w e sha ll shu n you ,
sh u n you w i th“ou t de si re,” or
“ shu n you w i th abhorre n ce a n d d i g u st .” A lso
I bn -al-A th i r , vol . 1 1 . p . 1 1 8 .
1' Thi s disobedi e n ce i s referre d to i n the Koran ,
chap . i i i . v . 1 46 .
1 I b n -al-A thi r, vol . i i . 1 1 9 ; Tabari , vol . i i i . p . 26 .
94 BATTLE OF OHOD .
t e r s ,>l< an d Om ar a n d Ab Bakr were seve re ly
wou n d e d . Th e e fforts of th e Id olate r s we re, how
e ve r,pr in cipally dire cte d toward Moham med, who,
su rrou n ded by a few di sciples, a n d cu t Off from th e
main body of hi s people, became n ow the chi e f
obje ct of thei r fiercest a ssau lts . Hi s fr i e n ds fell
fast arou n d him . Thou gh bleedin g from every
wou n d, he d i d n ot forget their lovi n g he arts, a n d
ble ssed the ha n d tha t tri e d to stan ch the blood
whi ch flowed from h i s for eh e ad s l' Bu t rescu e wa s
n igh . The brave warriors who u n der Al i had be en
fighti n g i n the ce n tre wi th the e n ergy of despa i r,
su cce eded i n retreati n g to a poi n t on the hi ll, where
they were secu re from the a ttacks of th e en emy,
b u t fu ll of co n stern ation a t the loss,as they s u p
Tabar i says that Ta lha , th e stan dard-bearer of the Ido laters, a
m an of heroi c bravery, placed h im se lf before Ali , son of Ab i i Taleb,a n d bra n di shi n g h i s Sabre , defied him ,
cry i n g , “ You Moslem s say“ tha t ou r dead w i l l go to he ll, a n d you rs to h eave n ; le t m e see
“whe ther I can n ot se n d thee to heave n .
”Upon thi s A li repli ed
,
Be i t so 1” a n d they fou ght, an d Ta lha was stru ck to the grou n d .
Mercy , O son of m y u n cle ,” cri ed h e . Ali repl ied,Mercy be i t
thou do st n ot deserve th e fi re .
” Vol . i i i . p . 2 5 .
t I bn -al-A th i r, vol . i i . p . 1 1 4
, a n d A bu lfed'
a,p . 44
, m e n tio n the
date of the ba ttle of Obod as the 7 th of Shawwal Tabari,vol
. i i i .
p . 2 1 , m e n tion s the 8 th I bn -Hi sham,the 1 sth ; an d severa l other s
the 1 1 th . M . C . d e Perceval , however, calcu la te s the 1 1 th to havebee n the real da te of the battle
,as accord i n g
‘to all the chro n i cler sth e d ay w as a Sa tu rd ay, a n d the 1 1 th of Shawwal (26th of Ja n u ary)fell on a Satu rday .
-H i st . d es Arabes , vol . i i i . p . 9 6,n ote .
96 EXASPERATION OF THE MOSLEMS .
wi th the other Korei shi te women of the highe st
ra n k,show e d th e gr e ate st fe roci ty i n thi s savage
w ork of ve n ge an ce, te ari n g ou t a n d devou ri n g the
h e art of Hamza, an d maki n g brace le ts an d n ecklace s
of the ear s a n d n oses of th e d ead .
>I<
The i n hu ma n barbari ti e s practised on the Sla i n
created i n the bosom of the Moslems a fe eli n g of
b i tter exa sperati o n . Eve n Mohamme d w as at first
SO moved by gri e f an d i n dign ati o n a s to declare that
the de ad of the Kore ish shou ld be treate d i n like
ma n n er as soon a s a vi ctory w as ga i n ed over them .
Bu t his p itifu l heart rebelled at hi s ow n thou ghts,
a n d i n calmer momen ts he u tte red the in spired
words, “ Bear w ro n g patie n tly ; ve ri ly best i t wi ll“ b e for the patien tly-e n du ri n g .
”1' An d from that
d ay the horrible practi ce of mu ti lati o n whi ch pre
va i led amo n g all the n ati on s of a n ti qu i ty was i n e x orably forbidde n to the Moslem s j ;
Shortly afte r h i s retu rn to Medi n a,§ Mahom m e d
colle cted his people together to pu rsu e the retreat
I bn -Hi sham , p . 5 80, et seq ; I b n -al -A thi r
,vol
. 11 . pp . 1 1 5 -1 26 ;
Tabari , vol . i i i . p . 1 6, et seq . ; Abu lfeda, pp . 4 4 -46 .
TKoran , chap . x v i . v . 1 27 ; I bn -H i sham,pp . 5 8 4
, 5 8 5 ;Zam akh
shri (The Kasshaf), Egyp. Ed . p . 446 .
I The Jew s u sed to b u rn ali ve the ir pri son ers, an d m ost barba
rou sly m u ti late the slai n . The Greeks , the Rom a n s, an d the Per
s ia n s all practi sed sim i lar barbari ti es . Chr i stia n i ty effected n o im
provem e n t i n these frig htfn l cu stom s, for as late as the s ixtee n thce n tu ry w e read of the m ost horrible m u ti latio n s .
See n ote to th i s chapter,chap . v i .
MASSACRE OF THE MOSLEMS AT BI R-MAUNA. 9 7
i n g e n emy,probably to show that the Moslem s we r e
y e t too stro n g to b e a ttacked wi th im pu n i ty . Ab d
S u fi fi n , he ar i n g of thi s, hasten e d back to Me cca,
havi n g first mu rde r e d two Me d i n i te s whom he m e t .
He, however, se n t a message to the Prophet, sayi n g
that he w ou ld soo n retu r n to e x term i n ate h im a n d
h i s pe ople . The Prophet’s reply w a s chara cter i sti c,
W e pu t ou r tru st i n
The m oral e ffe ct of thi s di sa strou s battle w a s a t
o n ce shown by the forays wh i ch the n e ighbou r i n g
n om ade s pr epared to make o n th e Me d i n i te terr i
tori e s . Most of them,howeve r , we r e repre ssed by
the e n e rge ti c a cti o n of Moham m ed, thou gh some of
th e hosti le tribe s su cceede d i n e n ti ci n g Moslem
mi ssi o n ari e s i n to their midst, u n de r th e pr e te n ce of
e m braci n g Islam,a n d then massacre d them . O n
on e su ch occasi o n ,seve n ty Moslems were treacher
ou sly mu rdere d n ear a brook calle d Bir-Mafi n a,
withi n the terr i tor i e s of two tribe s, th e Ba n i-Am i r
a n d th e Ba n i -Su la i m ,chi efly throu gh th e i n s tru
m e n tality of th e latter . O n e of th e two su rvivors
of thi s sce n e of pe rfi d iou s Slau ghter escaped to
w ards Me d i n a . Mee ti n g tw o u n arm e d Arabs on
th e way, an d mi staki n g them for e n em i e s, he ki lle d
them . The se Arabs be lo n ged to th e tr ibe of Ba n i
Ami r,a n d we re trave lli n g u n de r a safe -co n du ct of
the Prophe t, whi ch circu msta n ce , how eve r, w as
u n k n ow n to th e fu gi tive Moslem . Whe n h e ar
I bn -H i sham ,p . 5 9 0 ; Kora n , chap . i i i . v . 1 6 7 .
H
98 TREACHERY OF THE BANI-NADH I R .
rived a t Medi n a a n d told his story, the heart of the
Prophe t w a s fille d wi th gri e f, a n d h e excla imed,Those two m e n had my safe -co n du ct ; why didst
thou ki ll them I d i d n ot k n ow, O Apostle of
God,
”w a s the ma n ’ s r eply fl
<
The Ba n i -Am ir se n t to Mohamme d for redress
a n d compe n satio n (D i a t) for thei r m u rd e red tribe s
m e n . 1‘ Mohamm ed k n ew that it w as th e du ty of
his people a n d those who had a ccepted the char t er , j;to pay the com pe n satio n -mo n ey . The Jewi sh tribes
of the Ba n i -Nadh i r,the K u rai z ha
,a n d othe rs
,wer e
thu s bou n d equ ally w i th the Moslems to co n tribu te
towards thi s payme n t . § Mohamme d, wi th a few
chose n compa n i o n s procee de d fir st to the Ba n i -Na
dhir, a n d requ i red from them the i r qu ota . They
seem i n gly at o n ce agre ed to this dema n d,an d r e
qu ested h im to wait wi th them a while . Whilst
I b n -H i sham , p . 60 0 ; I bn-al-Ath i r, vol . 1 1 . p . 131-1 32 Tabari ,
vol . i i i . p . 48 .
"
l' I bn -al-Athi r, vol . 1 1 . p . 133 .
I See a n te, p . 76 .
I bn -al-Ath i r , vol . i i i . p . 1 33 Tabar i,vol . i v . p . 5 0 . Mu i r an d
Spre n ger have stra n gely garbled th i s part of th e affa ir . Sir W .
Mu ir doe s n ot fi n d a n y au thori ty for M . C . d e Perceval’
s sayi n g thatthe Jews w ere bou n d by treaty to con tri bu te towards the D i at . Iam happy to fu rn i sh him w i th thi s au thori ty . Tabari says En
su i te i l ordon n a d e ré u n ir ce tte som m e,e n la répar ti ssan t su r la
vi lle d e Med i n e e t d’
y fa i re con tribu er égalem e n t le s Jn i fs,te l s qu e
les Be n i -Nat r,les Q orai zha e t ce u x d e Fadak , qu e y éta ie n t
obliges par le tra i té .”—Zote n berg'
s Tran sl . vol . i i i . p . 5 0 . SO alsoI b n -al-A thi r, vol . i i . p . 1 33 .
1 0 0 HOSTILITY or THE JEWS .
an d thi s i n flu e n ce was chiefly di rected towards
s owi n g sediti o n amon g the Moslems, a n d wide n i n g
the bre ach betwe e n them an d the opposi n g fact ion .
Th e defeat of the Idolaters at Be dr w a s fe lt a s
de eply by the Jews a s by the Meccan s . Imme
d iat e ly after thi s battle,a disti n gu i shed member of
the ir race , called Kab , the son of Ashraf, belo n g i n g
to the tr ibe of Nadhi r,pu bli cly deplor i n g the ill
su cce ss of the Idolaters , proceede d towards Me cca .
Fi n di n g the people ther e filled wi th co n stern ati o n
a n d gri ef, he spared n o exertio n to revive the i r
cou rage . By h i s satires aga i n st the Prophet a n d
h i s di sciples, by h i s elegie s on the Mecca n s who had
falle n at Bed r,he su cceeded i n exci ti n g th e Korei sh
to that fren zy of ven ge a n ce whi ch fou n d a ve n t on
the plai n s of Ohod . Havi n g attai n ed his obj e ct,he
re traced h i s steps homeward . Hi s a cts were ope n lyd irected agai n st the commo n wealth of whi ch he w as
a membe r . He belo n ged to a tribe whi ch had
e n tered i n to the com pact* wi th the Moslems, a n d
pledge d i tse lf for th e i n tern al a s well a s extern alsafe ty of the State . On the arrival of thi s traitori n Medi n a , h e w a s exe cu te d . An othe r Jew of then ame of Ab fi Rafe Se llam
,be lo n gi n g to the Ba n i
Nadh i r, who had tr i ed to stir u p th e n e ighbou r i n g
tribes aga i n st th e Moslem s, w as also e x e cu te d j
‘
See a n te , p . 76 .
T l b n -I l isham, p . 5 48 Tabari , vol . i i i . p . 7 I b n —al-A thi r
,vol
. i i .
p . 1 1 0 ; Cau ssi n d e Perceval , vol . i i i p 8 7 . See n ote II . to th i schapte r .
THE EXPULS I ON or THE BANI-KAI NUKA . 1 0 1
Th e fate of the se two tra i tors, a n d the expu lsi o n of
the i r brethr e n the Ba n i -Kai n u ka from th e Me d i n i te
te rr i tori e s, had give n rise to a bi tte r fe e lin g of a n i
m os i ty amo n g the Nadh’
i r aga i n st the Prophe t . The
circu m stan ces co n n e cte d wi th th e ba n i shmen t of the
Ka i n u kfi. are so r oma n ti c a s to be w orth re la ti n g i n
thi s ske tch of the Prophe t’s care er . Wh i lst th e
other Jew ish tribes were chi efly agr icu ltu ral,the
Ba n i -Ka i n u ka hardly posse ssed a si n gle fie ld or
d ate -pla n tati on . They w ere for th e most par t arti
sa n s em ploye d i n han di craft of all S edi ti o u s
a n d u n r u ly , alw ays r e ady for a broi l,like their co
religi o n i sts of Al exan dri a, the se Ba n i -Ka i n u kawere
also n ote d for th e extreme laxi ty of the i r morals .
O n e d ay i n Shaww fi l,2 A .H . (Febr u ary, 624 a
you n g gi rl from the cou n try came to their bazaar or
marke t (s li k ) to sell milk . The Je w i sh you ths,ou tragi n g every pr i n ciple of ho n ou r a n d hospi tality
,
i n su lted h e r grossly . A Moslem passer-by took th e
part of th e girl a n d i n the fray whi ch e n su ed, th e
a u thor of th e ou trage was ki lled,where u pon the
e n tire body of the Jew s pre sen t rose,a n d slau ghtere d
the Moslem . A wi ld scen e the n follow e d . The
Moslems, en raged a t th e mu rder of the i r com pa
tr i ot, flew to arm s ; blood flow e d fas t,a n d ma n y
we re ki lled on bo th side s . At the first n ews of th e
ri ots, Moham med haste n ed to th e spot, a n d by h i s
pre se n ce s u cce eded i n re stra i n i n g th e fu ry of h i s
Tabari , vol . i i i . p . 8 Cau ssi n d e Perceval , vol . i i i . pp . 7 9 , 80 .
1 02 THE EXPULSION or THE BANI-KAI NUKA.
followers . He a t o n ce pe rce ived what the e n d
wou ld b e of the se sediti o n s a n d di sorde rs i f allowe d
to take the i r cou rse . Me di n a wo u ld b e tu rn e d i n to
a n amphi th eatre,i n whi ch m em bers of hosti le fa c
tio n s might m u rde r o n e a n other wi th i m pu n ity .
The Jews had ope n ly a n d k n owi n gly i n fri n ged the
terms of the i r compact . It w as n ece ssary to pu t
a stop to thi s wi th a firm ha n d, or farewell to all
hope of pe ace a n d se cu ri ty . Co n sequ e n t ly Mo
ham med proce eded at o n ce to the qu arte r of the
Ba n i -Ka i n u k fi. a n d re qu ire d them to e n te r defin i telyi n to the Moslem com mo n we alth by embraci n g
Islam or to vacate Medi n a . The reply of the Jews
w a s cou che d i n the most offe n sive terms . OMoham med, do n ot b e e la te d wi th thy victory
ove r thy people (the Kore i sh). Thou hast hada n affa i r wi th m e n ign ora n t of the art of w ar .
If tho u ar t desirou s of havi n g a n y de ali n gs wi thu s
, we shall show the e that w e ar e They
then shu t them s e lve s u p i n thei r fortress a n d se t
Mohamme d’s au thor i ty a t defia n ce . Bu t thei r redu ction was a n absolu te du ty ; a n d s iege w as
accordi n gly la id to the i r stro n gholds wi tho u t los s
of time . Afte r fifte e n days they s u rre n dered .
At first i t w as i n te n ded to i n fli ct some severe
I bn -H isham , p . 5 45 . Tabari gi ve s th i s speech of the Kai n u ka
th a sl ight vari a tio n . Bu t a ll hi stor ia n s agree i n i ts be i n g defia n ta n d offe n s ive . I ca n n on u n derstan d whe n ce G ibbo n obta i n e d th e
excess ively m eek reply h e p u ts i n to the m ou t h of the se people .
1 0 4 THE I R EXPULS I ON .
Nadhi r re tu rn ed a defian t a n swer . Di sappoi n ted,how eve r, i n the promi sed a ssi stan ce of Abdu llah a n d
of thei r bre thre n,the Ba n i-Ku ra i z ha
,after a si ege of
fiftee n davs* they su ed for terms . The previou s
offer w a s ren ewed, a n d they agreed
,
to evacu ate
the i r territori e s . They w ere allowed to take all
the ir moveable prope rty wi th them,with the e x cep
ti o n of arms . 1 I n order to preve n t the Moslems
from occu pyin g their dwelli n gs,they d estroyed these
be fore le avi n g . 1Thei r la n d, warlike materi als, &c . ,
which they
cou ld n ot carry away, w e re di stribu ted by th e Pro
phe t, wi th the co n se n t a n d w arm approba ti o n of the
A n sar, amo n g the Mu hajeri n,who
,u p to the prese n t
time, had be e n e n tirely depe n de n t for su pport o n
the gen erou s m u n i fi ce n ce of the Med i n i te s . Not
wi thstan di n g th e stro n g brothe rly love whi ch exi ste d
b e twe e n th e “ Re fu ge es” a n d the “ Au xi liar i e s,
” Mo
hamme d k n ew that th e a ssi stan ce of th e Med i n i t e s
afforde d b u t a pre car iou s mea n s of su bsiste n ce . He
a ccord i n gly a ssemble d the pr i n cipal m e n from am o n gth e An sar , a n d a ske d them whe ther they w ou ld allowh i m to di str ibu te am o n g the i r poor brethre n who
had followed h im from Me cca,th e goods left b ehi n d
by the Jew s . Wi th on e voi ce they a n swered,Give
Tabar i says e leve n d ays (vol . i i i . p .
J
r l h n-H i sham , pp . 65 2
, 6 5 3 ; I b n —al-A th i r , vol . 1 1 . p . 1 33 ;
A bu lfeda,p . 49 .
I Kora n , chap . l ix . 5 . See a n te p . 68 .
CONCLUS ION OF THE FOURTH YEAR OF THE HI JI RA . 1 0 5
to ou r brothers the goods Of the Jews ; a ssig n to
them eve n a por ti o n Of ou rs we wi lli n gly co n se n t .”
Upo n thi s, the Prophet divided the proper ty amo n g
the Mu hajeri n a n d two of the An sar who we re
extreme ly poor .
>l<
The expu lsio n Of the Ba n i Nadhi r took place i n
the mo n th Of Rabi I . of the d tb y ear r i' The re
m a i n i n g'
por tio n Of this ye ar a n d the e arly part of
the n ext we re passed i n the repression of var i ou s
spasmodi c efforts on the part of the n omade tribe s
to hara ss the Moslems, a n d i n i n fli cti n g pu n i sh
me n ts for mu rderou s forays on the Me d i n i te terri
tor i e s . :l:
I b n -Hi sham,p . 6 5 4 I bn -A th i r
,vol . 1 1 . p . 1 33 Tabari , vol . i i i .
p . 5 4 . A pr i n ciple was he n ceforth e stabli shed that a n y acqu i s itio n , n ot m ade i n actu a l w arfare, shou ld be lon g to th e S tate , or th eChi ef of the S tate a n d that i ts appli ca ti o n shou l d depe n d u pon hi sd i scre tio n . (Vi da D roi t Mu su lm a n
, par M . Q u erry , p . Chapter li x . of th e Kora n treats alm ost e n tire ly of the c ircu m sta n ce s conn ected wi th the ban i shm e n t of th e Ban i -Nadh i r . See Sale ’s Notea t th e beg i n n i n g of th i s chapter.
T Accordi n g to I b n -H i sham,p . 6 5 3 , an d Abu lfeda, p . 49 Tabari ,
vol . i i i . p . 5 5 ,says i t was the m o n th of Safar .
1 Of thi s n a tu re w as the expe dition aga i n st the Chri s t i a n A rabsof D um at—aj -Jan dal (a place , accordi n g to A bu lfeda, abou t seve ndays
’ j ou rn ey to the sou th from Dam ascu s), who had stopped the
Med i n i te traffi c w i th Syri a, a n d eve n threate n ed a rai d u pon Med i n a ;
these m arau de rs, how eve r, fle d on the approach Of the Moslem s,
a n d Moham m ed re tu r n ed to Med i n a,after co n cl u d i n g a trea ty w i th a
n e ighbou ri n g ch ief, to whom he gra n ted perm i ssio n of pastu rag e on
the Med i n i te te rri tories —C . de Perceval, vol . i i i . p . 1 29 Tabari ,vol . i i i . p . 60 .
1 0 6 COALI TI ON‘
AGAI NST THE MosLEMs .
Me a n whi le th e en e m i es Of th e Prophet were n ot
idle . Far a n d wide the Idolater s had se n t the ir
em issari es to stir u p th e tribe s agai n st th e Moslems .
The Jews we r e the most a ctive i n the se efforts .
Some of the Ba n i Nadh i r had remain ed behin d wi th
thei r brethre n n ear Khaibar, an d there, fired wi th
th e hope Of ve n gea n ce, had set themselves to work
to form an other leagu e aga i n st the Their
effor ts we re su ccessfu l beyo n d their u tmost hopes .
A formidable coalition w as soo n formed ; a n d a n
army co n si sti n g of t e n thou sa n d well-appoi n ted m e n
marched u po n Medina, u n der the comman d of the
restless Abu Su fi fi n . Mee ti n g n o Oppositio n on their
way, they soo n e n camped wi thi n a few miles Of
Medi n a, on its most vu ln e rable side towards Ohod .
To oppose thi s hos t,the Moslems cou ld o n ly mu ster
a body Of three thou san d men t Forced thu s by
the i r i n feri ority i n n u mbers, as we ll a s by the fac
tiou s opposi ti o n of the Hypocri te s” withi n the
ci ty,1 to remain on the defe n sive,they d u g a deep
tre n ch rou n d the u n prote cted qu arters of Medi n a ;a n d
, leavi n g the i r wome n an d chi ldre n for safety i n
the ir fortified hou ses, they e n camped ou tside the cityw i th the moat i n fron t of them . I n the m ea n time
,
they re li ed for the safety Of a n other side,if n ot u pon
th e active a ssista n ce, at le a st u po n the n eu trality Of
I bn -H i sham , p . 669 I b n -al—A th i r,vol . 11 . p . 136 Tabari ,
vol . i i i . p . 60 - 6 1 .
T I hn -Hishftm ,p . 6 73 .
I Referred to i n Koran , chap . xxxi i i . verses 1 2, 13, 1 4, &c.
THE BELEAGUERMENT OF MEDINA .
to su rprise the ci ty u n de r the directi on of Jewish
gu ide s,de te rmi n ed u pon a regu lar a ssa u lt . The
si ege had already laste d twe n ty days . The restless
tr ibes Of the desert, who had made commo n cau se
w i th the Korei sh a n d the i r Jewi sh a llies, a n d who
had expe cte d a n e asy prey, were becomi n g weary
of thi s protracte d campaig n . Gre at e fforts were
made at thi s criti cal mome n t by th e leader s Of the
beleagu er i n g host to cross the tren ch a n d fall u po n
th e small Moslem force . Every a ttempt wa s, howeve r,repu lse d by u n tiri n g vigi lan ce on the part Of MO
hammed . The eleme n ts n ow seemed to combi n e
aga i n st the besi egi n g army their horses were
peri shi n g fast a n d provisio n s were be comi n g sca n ty .
Di su n i o n w a s rife i n thei r mi dst, a n d the far -se e i n g
chief Of the Moslems, w ith matchless pru de n ce ,fomen ted it i n to actu al divi si o n . Su dde n ly thi s vast
coali tion,whi ch had seemed to m e n ace th e Moslems
wi th i n evi table destru cti o n , van i shed i n to thi n a i r . I n
th e dark n e ss of n ight,am idst a storm of wi n d a n d
ra i n,—the i r te n ts ove r throw n
,thei r li ghts pu t ou t ,
Ab fi Su fi fi n a n d th e m ajor i ty of h i s form idable arm y
fled th e re st took r e fu ge wi th th e Ban i
Mohammed had i n th e n ight foretold to hi s follower s
th e d i spe rs io n Of the i r e n em i e s . D ay-bre ak saw hi s
prog n osticati o n s fu lfille d,an d the Moslems re tu r n e d
i n joy to th e c i tyqL
I bn -H i sham , p . 683 I b n -al ' Ath i r , vol . 1 1 . p . 1 40 .
T I n Moslem an n als, th i s war i s called the “ War Of the Tre n ch .
THE BANI-KURAI ZHA. 1 0 9
Bu t the vi ctory w a s hardly achi eve d i n the Opi n i o n
of the Moslems, a s lo n g as th e Ban i K u ra i z ha r e
ma i n ed so n ear a n d i n su ch da n gerou s proximi ty
to the ci ty of Islam . They h ad prove d themse lves
tra itors i n spi te of their sworn a lli a n ce, a n d had
a t o n e time a lmost su rpr i se d Me di n a from the i r
s ide , a n even t whi ch w ou ld have i n volved th e gen e ral
m assacre of eve ry sou l i n the place . The Moslems,
there fore, thou ght it their wi se st poli cy to strike a
blow before the Jews cou ld re n ew thei r machi n a
tio n s . Un der the gu idan ce of Moham med,they
i m medi ate ly marched u po n the Jew ish fortresse s,a n d after a si ege of twe n ty-fi ve days, the Ba n i
Ku ra i z ha Offe r ed to su rren der o n th e terms gra n te d
to th e Ban i Nadhi r . Thi s w as refu sed, a n d they
were re qu ired to su rren der at di screti o n . Re ly
i n g on the i n tercessi o n of thei r old alli es,the Au s
,
a n d on the co n di ti on that their pu n i shmen t shou ld
b e le ft to the j u dgmen t of the Au s i t e chi ef,Sad-ib n
Mu ad z,they s u bmi tte d at di screti o n . Un happi ly,
thi s m a n,i n fu r iated by the treacherou s co n du ct of
Ban i-Ku rai z ha, a n d thei r u n tiri n g hostili ty to the
n ew fa i th, passed a se n te n ce Of u n u su al severi ty u pon
the m . He order e d that the fighti n g m e n shou ld b e
pu t to de ath, an d that the women a n d chi ldre n,w i th
all the i r belon gi n gs,shou ld be come th e prope r ty of
the Moslems . Thi s deplorable sen ten ce w as i n ex or
ably carri ed i n to exe cu tion .*
I b n -H i sham ,pp . 686 -690 I bn -al-A thi r
,vol . 1 1 . p . 1 4 1
, et seq.
Tabar i , vol . i i i . p . 68 et seq. See Note IV . to thi s chapter .
1 0 NOTEs .
NOTE I . TO CHAPTER VI .
A tou ch i n g i n c ide n t i s related by I b n -H i sham , (p . con n ecte d
w i th the re tu r n of Moham m ed to Medi n a , after th e last sad du ti e shad be e n perform ed for the gallan t dead i n the battle of Obod . Whe n
the Moslem s w ere re -e n te i i n g the ci ty w i th the Prophe t , a w om an ofthe Ba n ou —D i n ar prese n ted herself before them . They told her thath er father , her hu sban d , her brother had all pe ri shed, fighti n g for theProphe t . A n d what has becom e of the Prophe t P” asked she .
They repli ed, he was safe . Show h im to m e an d they took herto him .
“ Thou l i ve st sti ll , cri ed the wom an , m y sorrow i s fled .
”
NOTE II . TO CHAPTER VI .
A n exam ple of the i n flu e n ce whi ch poets an d rhapsodi sts exerci seam o n g u n progressed n a tio n s i s afforded by on e of th e ep i sode s conn ected w i th the war of Ohod . Whi lst prepari n g for thi s eve n tfu lcam pa ign ,
the Kore i sh requ e sted a poe t of the n am e of Abfi Uzza togo rou n d the tribe s of the de sert , a n d exci te them by his son gs a n dpoetry agai n st th e Moslem s, a n d persu ade them to joi n the con fe d e
racy, form e d u n der th e au spi ce s of the Me cca n s , for th e des tru ctionof Moham m ed an d h i s followers . Thi s m an had bee n take n pri son erby the Moslem s, i n the battle of Bedr, b u t was re leased by the Prophe t, w i thou t ran som , on pledgi n g him se lf n ever aga i n to take u p
arm s agai n st the Med i n i tes . I n spi te of thi s,he w as tem pted to break
hi s word , a n d w e n t rou n d th e tribe s rou si n g them to arm s by hi spoetry . A n d
,i t i s sa id , he w as em i n e n tly su cce ssfu l i n hi s work .
After Obod, h e was agai n take n priso n er, an d exe cu ted by theMoslem s . I b n -H i sham , p . 5 9 1 Cau ssi n de Perceval
,vol . i i i . p . 9 0 .
NOTE III . TO CHAPTER VI .
The se two execu tio n s, of Kab- ib n -Ashraf an d Abu Rafe Se llam,
are , by Chr i stia n hi stor i a n s, stigm ati sed w i th the n am e Of assassi
n atio n s,probably, becau se the Moslem s d i d n ot go throu gh the
solem n farce of a cou rt-m artia l, or a trial by j u ry . The se h i storia n sforge t that, by the charter wh ich gu aran teed the c iv i l a n d relig iou s
1 12 NOTES .
of a word Le t u s bu t thi n k wha t m ight have bee n ou r fate , an d
the fate of every other n at io n u n der heave n at thi s hou r, had the
“ sword of th e Arab* do n e i ts work m ore spar i n gly . Th e Am b'
s
sword,i n i ts blood i e s t execu tio n s, w rou ght a work of m ercy for all
th e cou n tri e s of th e earth to th e very e n d Of the world .
”I f th e
Chr i sti an ’s argu m e n t i s correct a n d n ot i n hu m an , ce rtai n ly th e MO
ham m edan'
s argu m e n t ca n n ot be so . O ther Moslem s , how ever , m ightlook u po n thi s fearfu l se n te n ce , on the Ban i -Ku ra i z ha, i n the sam e
l ight as Car lyle looks u pon th e order of Crom w e ll, for the prom i scuou s m assacre of the Iri sh i n habi tan ts of Drogheda A n a im ed
soldi er,solem n ly con sciou s to hi m se lf that h e i s th e soldi er of God
th e Ju st ,— a co n sciou sn e ss whi ch i t w e ll beseem s all soldi ers an d all
m en to have always—arm ed sold ier , terrible a s Death, re len tless asDoom doi n g God’s ju dgm e n ts on the e n em i e s Of God .
”
I am n ot di sposed to look at the pu n i shm e n t of the se Jews frome i ther of the se poi n ts of vi ew . I sim ply look u pon i t as an act do n ei n perfect con so n an ce w i th the law s of w ar, as the n u n derstood by then a tio n s of the world a stri ct appli cation of adm i tte d cu stom s of war“ i n those The se people brou ght the ir fa te u pon them se lve s .I f they had bee n pu t to death, e ve n w i thou t the j u dgm e n t of Sai d , i twou ld have perfe ctly accorded wi th th e pr i n ciple s wh i ch the n pre
va i led . B u t they had them se lve s chose n Sfi d as the i r sole arbi tratora n d j u dge they k n ew that hi s j u dgm e n t wa s n ot at all co n trary toth e rece ived n otio n s, a n d accordi n gly n ever m u rm u red . They k n ew ,
tha t if they had su cceeded, they w ou ld have m assacred the ir e n em i e sw i thou t com pu n ctio n . People j u dge of the m assacre s of Ki n g Davi daccord i n g to the “ l ights of h i s tim e ! : Eve n the fearfu l slau ghte rs,
I n th e origi n a l, of cou rse , Israe l i te s .
1‘ A n observati o n Of Grote, H i st . of Greece , vol . v i . p . 49 9 .
t 2 Sam . v ii i . 2 . The con qu ered Am m on i te s h e tre ated w i th“eve n greater feroci ty , teari n g a n d hewi n g som e of them i n p i ece s
“ w i th barrow s, axe s, an d saw s ; an d roasti n g others i n bri ck-k i l n s
(x i i . 3L )” Ma i tla n d, Jew i sh Li teratu re a n d Moder n Edu catio n
,
p . 2 1 . Com pare also Stan ley’s Lectu re s on the Jew i sh Chu rch , vol . i i .p . 99 .
NOTES . 1 13
com m i tted by the Chri stian s i n prim i tive tim e s, are ju dged accordi n gto certa i n “ lights . Why shou ld n ot the defe n si ve wars of the earlyMoslem s be looked a t from the sam e stan dpoi n t Bu t , wha tever thepoi n t of vi ew, an u n prej u d iced m i n d"w i l l a t o n ce perce ive that n otthe sl ightest blam e ca n be attached to the Prophe t, i n the execu tionof the Ba n i -Ku ra i z ha .
Passi n g n ow to the n u m ber of m en execu ted , on e can at o n ce seehow i t has bee n exaggerated . Som e say , they were 40 0 ; othershave carri ed the n u m ber eve n u p to 9 0 0 . Bu t Chri sti an h i stori an sge n erally give i t as vary i n g from 70 0 to 8 0 0 . I look u pon thi s as agross exaggeration . Eve n 40 0 wou ld seem a n exaggerated n u m ber .
The tradi tio n i sts agree i n m aki n g the warl ike m aterial s of the
Ban i -Ku rai z ha con s i st of 30 0 cu irasses , 5 0 0 bu cklers, sabre s ,& c . I n order to m ag n ify the valu e of the spoi l, the trad i tion sprobably exaggerated the se n u m bersj B u t tak i n g them as theysta n d a n d rem em beri n g that su ch arm s are always kept greatlyi n exce ss of the n u m ber of fighti n g m e n
,I am led to the con clu
sion that/
the w arriors cou ld n ot have bee n m ore tha n 20 0 or
2 5 0 . The m i stake probably arose from con fou n di n g the wholebody of pr i son ers who fe ll i n to the han ds of th e Moslem s w i th thoseexecu ted .
I n the d istri bu tion of th e su rvi vi n g pe ople , i t i s said, a you n gJew ess of the n am e of Raihan a was allotte d to the Prophe t . Som e
say , sh e was previou sly set apart . The Chri stian hi storian s, alwaysready to se i ze u pon a n y poi n t whi ch to the i r m i n d offe rs a
plau sible grou n d for a ttacki n g Moham m ed,have n ot fa i le d to
m ake m u ch Of thi s s tory . Leavi n g th e exam i n atio n of the qu est ionof slave ry to a later chapter, I wi ll here on ly observe that theallotm e n t of Raihan a
,i n asm u ch as i t w as perfectly co n son an t
w i th the cu stom s of war recog n i sed i n those days, fu rn i she s n o
I ca n on ly rem em ber M . Barthe lem y St . H i la ire am on g Eu ropea n s , who has n ot been carri ed away by passio n an d prej u d ice .
Mahom e t e t le Coran , p . 13 1 , n ote .
1 Com p . the rem arks of I b n -Khaldfi n , (Prole’
gom é n es d’I bn Khal
dou n , tradu i ts par M . d e Slan e , Pt . I . p .
1 14. NOTES .
grou n d for m odern a ttacks . I look u po n the story of Raihan a’s
be com i n g a left-ha n de d w ife of the Prophe t as a fabrication .
Especia lly as a fter thi s e ve n t she d i sappears from h i story a n d w e
hear n o m ore of her , whi lst of others we have fu ll a n d c ircu msta n tial accou n ts .
1 16 THE NOBLE GENEROS I TY OF MOHAMMED
troops,u n der the perso n al com man d of the Prophe t,
m arched agai n st the Ba n i -Lihyei n . Th e m ara u de rs,however
,re ceivi n g timely n oti ce of the Prophe t’s
approach,fle d in to the mou n tai n s, a n d the Moslems
retu rn ed to Medi n a withou t havi n g accompli shed
the ir pu rposed<
A few days had o n ly elapsed, when a chief of the
Ban i -Fe z ara , a bran ch of the n om ade horde of
Ghatafan , (Kha tl-i -Gha tafd n ) su dden ly fell u po n
the open su bu rbs of the city, a n d drove Off a n
e n ormou s herd of camels,mu rderin g the m an who
had charge of them, a n d carryi n g Off hi s wife . The
Moslems were immedia te ly o n their tra ck,a n d a
few of the a n imals were recovered ; b u t the Bed ou i n s escaped i n to the desert with the largest
porti o n of the i r booty . 1'
The hu ma n m i n d a lways atta ches a n idea of
s u bl ime gra n d e u r to the characte r of a m a n who,
whi lst possessi n g the power of retu rn i n g evil forevi l, not o n ly preache s b u t practises the divi n e
pr in ciple of forgive n ess . Moham med, a s t he Chi e f
of th e State a n d gu ardi a n of the li fe a n d liberti e s Ofh i s pe ople , i n th e exe rci se of ju sti ce stern ly pu n ishedevery i n dividu al gu i lty of cr im e . ;t Mohammed, the
Prophet, the Teache r, the Exalter of the hu man
I bn -Hi sharn, p . 7 18 ; I bn -al Athi r, vol . i i . p . 143 ; Tabari ,
vol . i i i . p . 72 .
‘
I' I b n -Hisham
,p . 722 .
1 See n ote I . to thi s chap ter .
TOWARDS HI S ENEMI Es . 1 1 7
race , was ge n tle a n d ki n d a n d mercifu l,eve n to
h i s gre a te st e n emie s . I n hi m were combin ed the
highe st a ttr ibu tes that the m i n d of m an ca n con
ce iv e ,— Ju stice an d Mercy .
A chie f of the tribe of Ha n afa,n amed Thu m am a,
son of Uth zi l, w a s take n priso n er by the Moslems i n
o n e Of their expedition s aga i n st the u n ru ly Arabs
of the desert . He w a s brou ght to Medi n a, whe re
h e w a s so affected by the ki n dn ess of the Prophe t
that from a n e n emy he soo n became a most devote d
follower . Retu r n in g to h i s people,he stopped the
tran sport to Me cca of provi si o n s fr om Yem atn a ,
where th e Ba n i -Ha n afa we re domi ci led . The
Me cca n s drew the greatest part Of the n ecessarie s
of li fe from Y em é‘
tm a, a n d this stoppage by Th u m am a
re du ce d them to the saddest stra i ts . Fa i li n g to
move the Ha n afi te s, they at last addresse d them
se lve s to Moham med,a n d besou ght him , by eve ry
t i e, to i n tercede for them . The Prophet’s he art
w as tou ched wi th pi ty,a n d he at o n ce requ ested
Thu m am a to allow th e Me ccan s to have whateve r
they wa n te d, a n d , a t h i s w ord, the co n voys we re
aga i n perm i tted to reach Mecca .*
A tr ibe of Chri stia n Bedou i n s (the Ba n i -Ka lb)se t tled abou t D fi m at -u j-ja n dal, had , i n the i r d epdatio n s, appear e d o n the Me d i n i te terri tor i es . A n
expedition w as n ow di spatched to su m m o n them to
embrace Islam,a n d forego th e i r lawle ss practi c e s .
I bn - I l i sham ,pp . 9 9 6 - 9 0 8 .
1 8 THE EXI LES YEARN roe MECCA.
Whilst de liverin g his i n j u n cti on s to the captai n who
headed thi s small force . Mohammed peremptor i ly
e n joi n ed him,
“ i n n o case shalt th ou u se deceit or
perfi dy, n or shalt thou ki ll an yI n the mon th“ , of Shab ii n Of this year, (November,
December,62 a n ex ped i ti o n w as directed aga i n st
the Ba n i-Mu stali k . These people had , pp to this
time,been on fri en dly te rms with the Moslem s .
Bu t rece n tly, in s tigated by their chief Hzi r i th , the
son of Ab fi Dhi rar, they had thrown off their
allegian ce, a n d committed forays on the su b u rbs of
Medin a . The ex peditio n was en tirely su ccessfu l,a n d several prison ers were take n , amo n gst whom
was a dau ght er ofHé‘
tr i th, called Ju w ai riya x iL
Si x years h ad n ow pa ssed si n ce the exi les of Mecca
had le ft their home s an d their cou n try for the sake
Of their fa i th, a n d of h im who had i n fu sed i n to them
a n ew co n sci ou sn ess, su ch a s they had n ever fe lt
before, awake n i n g i n them the spirit of u n i o n ,love,
a n d brotherhood . People flocked from every part
I b n -Hi sham , p . 9 92 . Com pare th i s i n j u n ction of the Arab i a nProphe t , an d a n other de l ivere d to the troops d i spatched aga i n st theByza n ti n e s , as also th e h istori c i n j u n ctio n of Abfi -Bakr to Ye z i dibn -Abu Su fi an , wi th th e com m a n ds of the Israe li te Prophe tsThu s sa i th th e Lord of Hosts n ow go an d sm i te Am alek ,
a n d u tterly de stroy all tha t they have , an d Spare them n ot ; bu t slayboth m a n a n d wom an ,
i n fa n t a n d s u ckli n g , ox an d sheep , cam e l a n dass , 1 Sam . x v . 3 ;
“ Slay u tterly Old an d you n g , both m a id s a n dli ttle ch i ldre n , an d wom e n , Ezek . i x . 6 . See n ote II . to thi schapter .
1 I bn -Hi shem,p . 72 5 I bn -al-A thir, vol . 11 . p . 1 46 .
120 THE PEACE OF HUDEIBA .
vo ice s respo n ded to the call . Preparation s we r e
rapidly made, a n d, a ccompa n i e d by seve n hu n dred
Moslems, An s zi r an d Mu haje ri n,all perfe ctly u n
a rmed, he set ou t o n the pi lg r im ag e fil< The
a n imosi ty of th e Koreish, however, wa s n ot y e t
exti n gu i shed . They posted themselves,wi th a large
army, some mi le s i n adva n ce of Mecca,to bar the
w ay, b u t soo n after fe ll back o n the ci ty,i n order
to keep every poi n t of access closed to the Moslems .
They swore solem n ly not to allow th e followers of
the Prophet to e n ter the shrin e, a n d m altreate d
the e n voy who was se n t to them to soli ci t perm i ssi o n
to visi t the Holy Places . A body of the Mecca n s
wen t rou n d the Prophet’ s e n campme n t wi th theavowed object of ki lli n g a n y u n wary Moslem who
might leave th e camp . They eve n a tta cke d the
Prophe t wi th ston es a n d arrow s x l‘ Fi n di n g the
Idolate rs immove able , a n d wi shfu l himse lf to e n d
to i m pose .-Afte r mu ch difficu lty a tr e aty w a s
co n clu ded, by whi ch i t w a s agre e d tha t all hosti li ti e s
shou ld cease for t e n ye ars ; that a n y o n e comi n g
‘V I bn -H i sham , p . 740 ; Tabari , vol . i i i . p . 84 ; I bn -al-Ath i r,
vol . 1 1 . p . 1 5 2, a n d Abu lfeda , p . 60
, m e n tio n the n u m be r as 1 40 0 .
1' Whe n som e of these m e n were se i zed a n d brou ght before the
Prophe t, he pardo n e‘
l a n d re leased them . I b n -H isham,p 74 5 .
It was on this occas io n that the Moslem s took the Pledg e, called
THE PEACE OF HUDE I BA . 121
from the Kor e i sh to th e Prophet wi thou t th e per
m i ssi o n of hi s gu ardi a n or chi e f, shou ld be r e -d e
livered to th e Idolater s that a n y i n dividu al fr om
amo n g the Moslem s goi n g over to th e Me cca n s,shou ld n ot be su rr e n de re d ; tha t a n y tribe de si rou s
of e n teri n g i n to allia n ce, ei ther wi th the Kore ish or
with th e Moslem s, shou ld b e a t libe rty to do so
w i thou t hi n dran ce ; that the Moslem s shou ld r etrace
the ir steps on thi s occa sio n , w itho u t adva n ci n g
fu rthe r ; that they shou ld b e permi tte d, i n the
followi n g ye ar, to vi si t Me cca,a n d to r emai n there
for three days w ith the ir travelli n g arms, n am e ly ,their scimitars i n
The Agreeable Pledge . (B iat-u r-Rhi dwan ) or The Pledge Of th eTree
,
”(B i a t-u sh - Shajara ). O thm an be i n g se n t to the Kore i sh to
repea t the requ e st for perm i ssi o n , they se i ze d a n d de ta i n ed him .
The Moslem s, fearfu l Of h i s m u rder, flocked rou n d Moham m ed , an dsolem n ly sw ore to ave n ge h i s dea th . I b n -Hi sham
,p . 746 Koran ,
chap. xlvi i i . v . 1 7 com p . also M u ir, vo l . i v . p . 32 .
Salah-u r-raki b ; I b n -H i sham,p . 747 ; I b n -al-Ath i r , vol . i i .
p . 1 5 6 Tabari,vol . i i i . p . 8 9 M i shkat
,bk . xv i i . chap . 1 0 ,
part 1 .
I t was on the occas ion Of thi s peace that a Kore i shi te e n voy whow as se n t to th e Moslem e n cam pm e n t, stru ck w i th the profou n drevere n ce an d love show n to the Prophe t by h i s foll owers,—ou h is
re tu r n to the Kore i sh,told them he ha d see n sovere ign s l ike the
Chosroes , (Ke sra), the Cae sar , (Ka i sar), a n d the Neg u s, (Nejashi ,)s u rro u n de d w i th all the pom p a n d ci rcu m sta n ce of royalty, bu t heh ad n ever w i tn e ssed a sovere ig n i n the m idst of h i s su bj ects rece ivi n gsu ch ve n eratio n a n d Obedi e n ce as w as pa i d to Moham m e d by h i speople . I b n -Hi sham , p . 74 5 ; I b n -a l-A tb i t
,vol . i i . p . 1 5 4 ; Tabari ,
vol . i i i . p . 8 7 an d A b u lfeda,p . 6 1 .
1 22 THE TERMS OF THE TREATY STRI CTLY FULFILLED .
The u n exam ple d moderati o n a n d magn a n im i ty
di splayed by Moham med i n co n clu din g thi s tre aty
cau sed some di sco n te n t am on g the more impu lsive
of hi s followers, i n whose he arts the i n j u r i e s a n d
cr u elti e s i n fli cted by the Kore i sh yet ra n kle d . I n
virtu e of the third stipu latio n Of the treaty,by whi ch
the Moslems bou n d the m selve s to su rre n d er eve ry
Idolater who cam e ove r to the ir cau se withou t the
pe rmi ssi o n Of their patro n , or chi ef, —the Kore i sh
dema n ded the su rre n de r Of seve ra l of th e Prophet’ s
di sciple s, a n d the i r d ema n d w a s immediate ly com
pli e d w ith by Mohammed, i n spi te Of the mu rmu rs of
som e of the Moslems . *
O n hi s re tu r n to Medi n a, Moham me d, i n pu r
su a n ce of th e catholic wi sh by whi ch he w a s i n
sp ired, that h i s re ligi o n shou ld embrace allHu ma n i ty
w i thi n i ts comprehe n sive b osom fi di spatched severa l
e n voys to i n vi te the n eighbou ri n g sovere ign s a n d
n ati o n s, immerse d i n absolu te moral darkn ess,to
adopt Islam,a n d to dr in k Of the cu p of life Offe red
to them by the Prophet Of Arabia .
Two of the most n oted of the se embassies were
to He racli u s th e Em pe ror of Byza n ti u m,a n d to
Kh u srfi Parviz, th e Ke sra of Persia . Khu sr fi w a s
the n i n th e first flu sh of hi s m ighty vi ctor i e s over
As w om e n w ere n ot i n clu d ed i n the trea ty, the dem a n d of the
Idola te rs for the su rre n der of the fem ale Moslem s was perem ptori lyd e cl i n ed .
1 Kora n , chap . vn . v . 1 5 7, 1 5 8 .
124 NOTES .
NOTE I . TO CHAPTER V I I .
The Chri stian biographers of the Prophe t Of Arabia , probablyu n der th e i n flu e n ce of tha t fi n e se n tim e n t called Chri stia n veri ty ,have de n om i n ated the pu n i shm e n t of cr i m i n als, assass i n a ti o n s
,
m u rders ,” or barbarou s deed s,
”wh i ch to the ge n era l reader con
v ey su ch an i dea of horror as to revol t h i m ,before h e has tim e to
reflect on the can dou r of the hi s tori an . A n i n d ividu al,e n joy i n g the
protection of the Moslem s . sti rs u p rebe lli o n aga i n st them or fom e n tsdi su n ion i n the i r m i dst he i s pu t to death . That i s assassi n atio n ,accordi n g to the se h i stor ian s . A w om a n
,the leader of a ban d of
de term i n ed robbers , gu i lty of cru e l deeds , i s take n pr i son er . Som eof the w i ld follow ers of Moham m ed
,n ot m ore advan ce d i n the ir
n otion s regardi n g the cru e lty or hu m an i ty Of pu n i shm e n ts tha n thesu rrou n di n g n atio n s, the i r c ivi l i sed n e ighbou rs
,the Greeks , the
Persi an s or the H i n d u s - u n k n ow n t o the Prophe t, pu t her to deathw i th circu m stan ce s of cru e lty (accord i n g to Sir W . Mu ir
’s au thor i tya n d n o othe r, vol . iv . p . Th i s i s a t on ce se t dow n to Mohamm e d a n d he i s pron ou n ce d to b e an accom pl ice i n the fe rociou sact . The h i stor ia n adm i ts tha t she was pu t to death w i thou t thekn ow ledge of the Prophe t, an d y e t he con dem n s hi m as an accom pl i ce .
A s to the cru elty of the pu n i shm e n t , h e forgot that Chri stia nE n glan d han ged m e n a n d wom e n for steal i n g a few sh i ll i n gs u p tothe m i ddle of the 1 8th ce n tu ry he forgot the terr ible tortu re s of th erack a n d the stake whi ch de stroyed m yr i ads of i n n oce n t be i n gs i nChri sti a n Eu rope . Bu t the story of the dreadfu l n atu re of the
p u n i shm e n t i n fl i cted on Um m -K irfa i s very i m probable . Tha t thew om a n was k i lled there i s n o dou bt—b u t she cou ld n ot have be e ntorn asu n der by two cam e ls ,
”as th i s wou ld have requ i re d two e x e
cu tion ers , an d i t i s adm i tted there was on ly (m e . Th e exec u tio n er’ sn am e w as n ot Cay s ib n al Mohs i n , as Si r W . Mu i r has m e n ti o n ed
,
bu t Cays i b n al Mu sahhar . I bn -H i sham,p . 98 0 .
[0NOTES . 1 5
NOTE II . TO CHAPTER V I I .
I n de l iver i n g h i s i n s tru ctio n s to th e captai n s who heade d the
Mosle m expedi tio n s,th e Prophe t always e n jo i n e d them perem ptor i ly
n e ver to i n j u re th e w eak .
“ I n ave n gi n g the i n j u ri es i n fl i cted u po nhe sa i d to hi s troops whom b e d i spa tched aga i n st the By z a n
ti n es, “m ole st n ot the harm le ss votari e s of
.
dom e sti c seclu sion ,spare
“ the weak n e ss of the fem ale se x i n j u re n ot the i n fan t a t thebreast, or those who are i ll on bed . A bstai n from dem oli shi n gthe dwe lli n gs of the u n re si sti n g i n hab i ta n ts de stroy n ot the m ean sof the i r su bs i ste n ce , n or the i r fru i t trees an d tou ch n ot the
palm .
” Ab ir Bakr , follow i n g h i s m as ter, thu s e n joi n ed h is cap
tai n O Ye z id be su re you do n ot oppress you r ow n people , n orm ake them u n ea sy , bu t advi se w i th them i n all you r affa irs a n d
take care to do that whi ch i s r ight an d j u st, for those tha tdo otherwi se shal l n ot prosper . Whe n you m ee t you r e n em i e s
,
qu i t you rselves l ike m e n , an d do n ot tu r n you r backs a n d if you
ga in th e vi ctory,ki ll n o l i ttle chi ldre n ,
n or old people, n or
wom e n . Destroy n o palm -tree s, n or bu r n a n y fie lds of corn . Cu t
dow n n o fru i t tre es , n or do a n y m i schief to cattle , on ly su ch as youk i l l for the n ece ssary p u rpose of su bsi s te n ce . Whe n you m ake a n ycove n a n t or arti cle , s ta n d to i t , an d be as good as you r word . A s
you go on , you w i l l fi n d som e re ligio u s perso n s tha t l ive re tire di n m o n a steri es , who propose to them se lve s to serve God that way .
Le t them alo n e , an d n e i ther k il l them n or d e stroy the ir m o n asteri e s .
”—M i ll ’s H i story ofMu ham m edan i sm , pp . 4 5,46 Gag n ier,
V i e d e Mahom e t, i n loco . Com p . the se i n j u n ction s wi th the fearfu lde n u n ci ation s of the Chri stia n s , Ca tholi c ,Protestan t an d Greek , fromthe days of S t. Lacta n ti u s to those Of the Cove n a n ters .
CHAPTER VIII .
7 A .H . 1 2th Apri l . 69 8—1 5 1: May , 629
THE Jewish tribes, in spi te of the reverses they
had already su ffere d, we re still formidable— still
bu sy with their m achi n a tio n s to work the d e s tru c
t io n of the Moslems . They possessed, a t the d i s
ta n ce of thre e or fou r days’ jou r n ey to the n orth
east Of Medi n a, a stro n gly fortified territory stu dded
with ca stle s,the pri n cipal of whi ch, called al-Kam fi s,
w a s situ ated on an i n accessible hi ll . This grou p of
fortresses w as ca lled Kha i ba r, a word Sig n ifyi n g
a fortified place . The popu la tio n of Kha ibar i n
cl u ded severa l bra n ches of the Ban i -Nadh i r a n d the
Ku rai z ha,who had take n refu ge there . The Jews
of Khaiba-r had show n a n active a n d implacable
hatre d towards Mohammed a n d h i s follow ers, a n d
sin ce the arrival Of their bre thre n of the Nadhi r
a n d Ku ra i z ha amo n g them, this feeli n g had ac
qu ired greater force . The Jew s of Khaibar,u n i ted
by a n a n cie n t allian ce wi th the Bedou i n horde of
the Ba n i-Ghatafan a n d with other cog n ate tribes ,worked i n cessa n tly for the formati o n of a n other
coalition a gai n st the Moslems . * These latter were
Cau ssi n de Perceval , vol . i i i . pp . 1 93, 1 94 .
THE PILGR I MAGE OF ACCOMPL I SHMENT .
wou ld the n ce forth e n j oy, half the produ ce of the i r
la n ds . The moveable proper ty fou n d i n those for
tresse s whi ch the Moslem s redu ced by regu lar
si eges a n d battles, was forfe ited to the army,a n d
di str ibu ted amo n g th e m e n a ccordi n g to the cha
ract e r of the i r arms— thu s, for i n sta n ce, three shares
were given to a horsema n , whilst a foot-soldi e r
received o n ly on e .
>l<
Towards the e n d of the seve n th year, Moham med
a n d his di sciples ava i led themse lves of the Tre aty
co n clu ded the previ ou s year be twee n themselves
a n d th e Kore i sh, a n d accompli shed the desire of
the ir he ar t sT— the p i lgrim age to the Holy Places .
Thi s jou r n ey, i n Moslem hi story,is rever e n tly
styled “ The Pi lgrimage,or Vi si t Of Accom pli sh
men t . i: I n stri ct co n formi ty with the terms of
I b n -H i sham ,pp . 7 64 an d 7 73 ; I bn -al Athi r
,vol . 1 1 . p . 1 69 .
Th e story of Ki n an a be i n g tortu red for the sake of d i sclos i n g theco n cealed treasu re s i s false .
Frequ e n t a ttem pts w ere m ade abou t thi s tim e to assassi n ate theProphet . O n h i s e n try i n to Kha ibar , a Jew ess, an im ated w i th thesam e ve n gefu l fee li n g as the Ju di th Of old , spread a poi son ed repastfor h im a n d som e of h i s followers . O n e of them di ed im m ediatelyafter h e had take n a few m ou thfu l s . The l ife Of the Prophe t wassaved, b u t the poi so n perm eated hi s system , a n d i n after-l i fe hesu ffered severe ly from i ts effects . I n sp i te of th i s crim e
,Moham m ed
forgave the wom a n,a n d she was allowed to rem a i n am on g her
people u n harm ed . Tabari , vol . i i i . p . 1 0 4 ; I bn -al-Ath i r, vol . i i .p . 1 70 .
1" See Koran , chap . xlvi i i . v . 27 .
Um rat-u i -Kadha.
THE EXPEDITION OF MUTA.
the Treaty, they left Mecca after a sojou rn of thre e
This peacefu l fu lfilmen t of the d ay -dream
of the Moslems w as followed by importan t con ver
s io n s amo n g the Korei sh . Stru ck by Mohamm ed’s
ki n dn ess of heart, hi s ge n tle n e ss, hi s n ob i lity of
sou l, man y of the ir most i n flu e n ti a l m e n —m e n who
h ad warred aga in st h im an d satiri zed hi m — adopte d
his fa i th with earn e st d evote d n e s sdThe mu rder of the Moslem e n voy by a fe u datory iof the Greek emper or w as a n ou trage whi ch cou ld
n ot b e passed over u n pu n i shed a n d i n si le n ce . An
expedi ti on,con si sti n g Of three thou sa n d m e n , w a s
d i spatched to exact reparati o n from th e Ghassa n i d e
pr i n ce . The li e u ten a n ts of th e Byza n ti n e em pe ror ,i n ste ad of d isavowi n g the crime , adopted i t
,a n d
thu s made th e qu arre l a n imperial o n e . Un i ti n g
their force s,they a ttacked the Moslems n ear Muta,
A cu riou s i n stan ce of th e a n im osi ty Of th e Kore i sh i s g ive n byMoslem hi storian s . The r i te s co n n ected w i th the p i lgr im age lastedthree day s . O n the m orn i n g of the fou rth , the Kore i sh se n t a m e s
sage to Moham m ed,to ha ste n h i s depar tu re . The Prophe t proposed
to g i ve a repast i n toke n of m u tu a l am i ty . There i s n o n eed fortha t,” they repl i ed , “
you m u st d epart a t o n ce .
” Moham m ed , i ncom pli an ce w i th the i r dem a n d, im m ed iate ly le ftMecca , a n d e n cam pedtha t very day severa l m i le s di sta n t from th e ci ty —Tabari , vol . i i i .p . 1 1 1 ; I b n -H isham , p . 79 0 I b n -al-A th i r, vol . i i . p . 1 74
TFor i n stan ce , Khali d-brn -Wali d , who com m a n ded the Kore i shcavalry at Ohod , a n d the poe t Am r b i n al-A s .
1 A ccordi n g to M . Cau ss i n d e Pe rceval the n am e of thi s ch i efta i n
was Sh u rabh i l , so n ofAm r (a n d n ot as A bu lfeda m e n tio n s i t, Am r,
son of Shu rabhi l).—Vol . i i . p . 2 5 3,a n d vol . i i i . p . 2 1 1 .
K
THE MECCANS VIOLATE THE TREATY .
a village n ot far from Balka i n Syria, the sce n e of
the mu rder . The Byza n ti n es a n d the ir a lli e s we re
repu lsed ; bu t the di sparity Of n u mbers w as too
great, a n d the Moslems retrea ted to
It was abou t thi s time that the Koreish a n d their
allies, the Ba n i -Bakr, i n viola tion of the terms of
peace con clu ded a t Hu deiba, a ttacked the Ba n i
Khu z a,who were u n de r the protectio n of, a n d in
allia n ce with,the Moslems . They m a ssacred a
nu mber of the Kh u z t‘t a n d disperse d the rest . The
Ba n i-Khu zabrou ght their compla i n ts to Moham m ed,a n d asked for ju sti ce . The reign of i n i qu i ty a n d
Oppressio n had la sted lo n g at Mecca . The Mecca n s
had themselves violated the peace, a n d some of
thei r chief m e n had taken part i n the ma ssacre of
the Kh u z a. The Prophe t immed i ately marched t e n
thou sa n d men aga i n st the Idola ters . With the
excepti on of a slight resi sta n ce by I k r im a an d
Safwan i at the head of the i r respective cla n s,i n
whi ch severa l Moslems were ki lled,Mohammed
e n tere d Mecca a lmost u n opposed .
Thu s, a t le n gth, Mohammed e n tered Mecca a s a
co n qu e ror . He who w as a fu gi tive a n d persecu ted
o n ce, n ow came to prove his mission by deeds of
mercy . The i n j u nctio n s the Prophet had delivered
Cau ssin de Perceval, vol. ii i . p . 2 1 1, et seq . ; I bn
-al-Athi r,
vol . i i . pp . 1 78 -18 0 .
t The son ofAha-Jahl, who fel l at Bedr .
t The son of Om m eya .
132 MAHOMMED’S SERMON .
th ey .
>l< At these word s, says Tabari, tears cam e
i n to the eyes Of th e Prophet, an d he said, I shall
speak to you as Joseph spake u n to hi s brothers,I shall n ot reproach you to-d ay God wi ll forgive ,
He i s th e most mercifu l a n d compassion ate .
’
1
An d n ow w as see n a sight n ever witn esse d before
i n the history of the world . Hosts u po n hosts came
a n d adopte d the re lig io n of Mohamme d . Seated o n
the hi ll of Safe, he r e ce ive d the old pledge , exacte d
b efore from th e Me d i n i te s They wo u ld n ot ad ore
a n ythin g ; they wou ld n ot commi t larce n y, adu l
t e ry , or i n fa n ti ci de they wou ld n ot u tter false
hoods,n or speak evi l Of wome n . I
Thu s were the words ,Of the Kora n ic prophecy
fu lfille d, Whe n arrives Vi ctory a n d Assi sta n ce from
God,an d se e st thou m e n e n te r i n hosts the Re ligi o n
of God,the n u tter th e pra i se of thy Lord a n d im
plore Hi s pardo n ,for He love th to tu rn l n mercy
,
(to those who se ek Mohammed n ow saw
h i s Mi ss io n all b u t com ple ted . Hi s pri n cipa l d i s
c i ple s we re di spatche d i n every directi o n to call the
w i ld trib e s Of the de se rt to Islam,w i th strict i n j u n c
ti o n s to pre ach pe ace a n d good wi ll . O n ly i n ca se
of viole n ce th ey we re to de fe n d themse lves . The se
I b n -H i sham , p . 82 1 ; Tabari , vol . i i i . p . 134 .
j‘
V i d . Kora n , chap . x i i . 3 2
i I bn -a l -A th i r, vol . i i . p . 1 9 2 Cau ssi n de Perceval, vol . i i i . p . 234 .
Kora n , chap . e x . Com p . Zam akh shr‘ i (the Kasshaf) , Egyp.
Ed .
p t . i i . pp . 49 0 , 49 1 .
KHALID DISOBEYS Hrs ORDERS . 133
inj u n cti o n s wer e ob eyed w ith on ly o n e exceptio n .
Khalid th e son Of Walid, who had be e n recen tly
co n verted, seei n g a party of the Ba n i -Jadh i m a Be
d ou i n s adva n ce towards hi m armed,orde red the i r
heads to b e cu t off. Hi s i m mediate followers kille d
a few of the se Arabs, b u t the othe r Moslem s i n ter
fe r i n g , fu r ther mas sacre w as stopped . Whe n the
n ew s of this wa n to n bloodshed w a s brou ght to th e
Prophet,he wa s mu ch gr ieved
,a n d ra i s i n g hi s ha n ds
towards he ave n , he cri e d, O Lord I am i n n oce n t
of what Khalid ha s do n e . He immedi ate ly d i s
patched Ali to make every possible r eparati on to the
Ba n i -Jadh i m a for th e ou trage com mi tte d o n them .
It w a s a mi ssion co n ge n i a l to Ali ’s n atu re , an d h e
execu ted i t fa i thfu lly . In qu i ri n g i n to the losses of
each i n divi du a l, h e paid him i n fu ll . When every
loss w as made good, h e di str ibu te d the r em ai n de r of
the mo n ey he had brou ght, amon g the ki n sme n of
the vi ctims a n d othe r m ember s of the tribe , glad
de n i n g every heart, says the chro n i cler, by h i s g e n
t le n e ss a n d ben evole n ce . Carryi n g w i th him the
ble ssi n gs of the whole people, he retu rn ed to th e
Prophet who overwhelmed h im w i th tha n ks a n d
pra i ses . *
The formidable Bedou in tribes, th e Hawaz i n , the
Thak if a n d variou s others who pastu red the ir flocks
on the terri tori e s borde r i n g Me cca , a n d some Of
I bn -Hi sham,pp. 834, 835 I b n -al-A th i r, vol . 11 . p . 1 9 5 Tabari,
vol . i i i . p. 1 4 1 .
134 DEFEAT or THE BEDOUINS .
whom possessed stro n gly fortified tow n s like Tay ef,—u n wi lling to r en de r obed i e n ce to the Moslems
withou t con test, soo n formed a leagu e, with the i n
ten ti on of overwhelmin g Mohammed before he cou ld
m ake preparatio n s to repu lse the i r attack . His v ig i
lan ce d i sappoin ted them . After a well-co n teste d
battle fou ght n ear Hu n ain , a de ep a n d n arrow defile
abou t ten miles to the n orth-east of Mecca,* the
Idolaters were defeated with great loss -
t Separatin g
their forces, on e body of the e n emy, co n sisti n g prin ci
pally of the Thak if, took refu ge i n their city of Taye f,which o n ly eight or ni n e year s before
,had drive n the
Prophet from withi n its wa lls with i n su lts -the rest
fled to a fortified camp i n the valley of An tas . This
was forced a n d the fami lies Of the Hawaz i n,with all
thei r worldly effects— their flocks a n d herds— fell
i n to the han ds of the Moslems . Tay e f w a s then
besi ege d, b u t afte r a few days Mohammed raised the
s i ege , well-kn owi n g that the pressu re of circu m
s ta n ces wou ld soon force the Tayefi te s to su bmit
w ithou t b loodshe d . Retu rn i n g to the place where
the captu re d Hawaz i n were left for safety,he fou n d
a depu tati o n from this formidable tribe awaiti n g his
Cau ssi n de Perceval , vol i i i . p . 248 i n the Kam u s,Hu n a i n i s
m erely sai d to be on the road from Mecca to Tay ef. Rodwe l l, howe ver, i n a n ote to h is tran slation of the Kora n , m akes the di sta n ceon ly three m i le s . Th i s su re ly i s a m i s take .
t Th is ba ttle is re ferred to i n the Kora n , chap . i x . W . 2 5 -26 . I bn
I l isham , p . 846 I bn -al—Atb i t , vol . i i. pp . 20 0, 20 1 .
ADDRESS OF MOHAMMED TO THE ANSAR .
I n the divisio n of the forfeite d flocks a n d herds Of
the Hawaz i n,large r n u mbers fell to the share of the
n ewly co n verted Meccan s tha n to the people of Me
di n a . Some of the An sar looked u po n thi s a s an
a ct of parti ali ty,a n d their disco n te n t reachi n g the
ears of the Prophet,h e ordered them to be a ssemble d .
He the n addressed them i n these words Ye
An sar ! I have lear n t the discou rse ye hold amo n g
you rse lves . Whe n I came amo n gst you , you were
wan derin g i n dark n ess, a n d the Lord gave you the
right direction ,-
you were su fferin g, a n d He made
you happy,— a t'
e n m i ty amo n g you rselves,an d He
has filled you r hearts with brotherly love an d con
cord . Was i t n ot so, tell me In d eed, it is
even as thou sayest,”wa s the reply , to the Lord
a n d Hi s Prophet b e lo n g be n evole n ce a n d grace .
”
Nay , by th e Lord ,” co n ti n u ed the Prophet
,b u t
y e might have a n swere d, an d a n swered tru ly, for I
wou ld have testified to its tru th m v self Thou
ea rn es t to a s r ej ected a s a n i m pos tor, a n al w e be
li eved i n thee thou cam es t a s a he lpless f ugi ti ve, a n d
w e a s s i s ted thee ; poor , a n al a n ou tca s t, a n d w e ga ve
the e a n a sy lu m con ifor tles s , a n d w e sola ceol thee .
’
Y e An sar, why di stu rb you r hearts beca u se of the
of the booty had n ot take n place , a n d co n sequ e n tly the Prophe t cou l d
n ot have pre se n ted a n y on e w i th a n y part of i t a n d seco n dly , tha t
h e cou ld o n ly have g ive n away as g i ft, part of hi s ow n share, bu t thi s
h e had prom i sed to the dep u tie s (before the d iv i sio n ) to re store to
the Hawaz i n . The story therefore is u tterly worthle ss .
ADDRESS or MOHAMMED TO THE ANSAR . 1 37
thi n gs of thi s life Are ye n ot sati sfied that others
shou ld obta i n the flocks a n d th e came ls,whi le ye
go back u n to yo u r home s wi th me i n you r mi d st
By Him who holds my li fe i n Hi s ha n ds,I shall
n eve r aban do n you . If all man ki n d we n t on e
w ay an d th e An sar a n other, ve r ily I wou ld joi n the
An sar . The Lord be favou rable u n to them , a n d
ble ss them,a n d the ir childre n ,
a n d the ir childre n ’ s
chi ldre n l” At the se words, says the chro n i cle r,they all wept , u n ti l th e te ar s r an dow n u pon the i r
be ards . They all cr i ed wi th o n e voi ce Y ea ,
Prophe t of God, we are we ll sati sfied wi th ou r
3 Thereu po n they retired happy a n d conshare .
’
Mohammed soon after retu rn ed to Me di n a .
I b n -Hi sham,p . 88 6 I b n -al-Athi r, vol . 11 . p . 20 8 Abu lfeda,
p . 8 2 .
CHAPTER IX .
9 20 1 3 APR I L, 630—9r a A PR I L
,63 1
,A .O.
THE n i n th year of the Hepra w a s n oted for the
embass ies which flocked i n to Medi n a from vari o u s
parts of Arabia, to re n de r homage to the tru e Fa i th
a n d i ts great Teacher .
The Con qu e st of Mecca had decided i n Arabia
the fate of idola try a n d its co n com i ta n t su pe r st i
tio n s . The people who still rega rded with ve n e rat i o n
Lat a n d Uzza, were pai n fu lly awake n ed by the fall
of their stro n ghold . Amo n g the w i ld de n izen s of
the desert,the moral force of the su bmi ssi o n of
the Mecca n s a n d the Thak i f w as grea t . Depu ta
ti o n s b ega n to arrive from all si de s to te n der the
allegi a n ce a n d adhere n ce of tr ibes, hi therto most
i n im ical to the Moslems . * “ The me ssen ge rs a n d
emba ssies were qu artered by Mahomet i n the
hou ses of th e chief citi ze n s of Medi n a, by whom
they were hospitably e n terta in ed . On departu re,they always receive d a n ample su m for th e ex
pe n se s of the road, an d gen erally some fu rthe r
I bn -H i sham , p . 934,e t seq. ; I bn e al-A th i r, vol . i i . p . 2 19 .
140 THE EXPED I TION TO TABUK .
ti n e s . The disi n cli n ation on the part of the se
Moslems w a s sti ll fu rthe r excite d by the Mu n z’
i
fi k i n,b u t afte r mu ch exertion a small force w a s
made ready . Accompa n i ed by the Prophet, they
marched towards the fro n tier . The Moslems,du ri n g
the ir rou te, su ffered severely from he at a n d thirst .
Afte r a lo n g a n d pai n fu l march they rea che d Tabfik‘
,
a place si tu ated midw ay betwee n Me di n a a n d Damas
c u s,
>I< where they halted . At Tabuk, Mohammed
learn t that th e Emperor of the Greeks w a s too
mu ch occu p i ed a t home to dream of a ttacki n g th e
Moslems,a n d fi n di n g n othi n g a t that mom e n t to
thre aten ! t h e safety of the Me d i n i te commo n we alth,he gave orde rs to the army to re tra ce i t s steps -
r
After a sojou r n of twen ty days a t Tabfik ,whe r e
they fou n d abu n da n ce of water for themselves a n d
forage for the ir fami shed be a sts of bu rden,th e
Moslems retu rn e d to Medi n a i n the mon th of
Ramadhan iSoon afte r the arrival of the Prophet at Medi n a,
a depu tati o n from Taye f waited u po n h im to te n de r
the su bmissi o n of the people, a n d ask forgiven e ss
Cau ssi n de Perceva l, vol . i i i . pp . 28 5 , 286 .
1' I bn -Hi sham , p . 9 0 4 ; I bn -al-A th i r
,vol . i i . p . 2 1 5 Abu lfeda
p. 8 5 .
1 A ccordi n g to C . d e Perceval, m iddle of Decem ber, 630 , A .O .
The chapter i x . of th eKora n treats v iv i d ly of the se eve n ts . A t Tabu k ,Moham m ed re ce ived th e su bm i ssio n of m a n y of the n e ighbou ri n gchi efs . I b n ~ al-A th i r
,vol . i i . p . 2 1 5 .
THE MARTYRDOM or ORWA. 141
for the i r hi the r to obsti n ate co n tu macy . I n orde r,
however,to giv e a n ide a of th e cha n ge of fe e li n g
amo n g the Tay e fi t e s, i t i s n e ce ssary to poi n t ou t
some of the ci rcu mstan ce s whi ch le d to i t . Th e
Tay e fi t e ch i ef, Orwa , who had b e e n the ambassador
of the Kor e i sh,i n th e affa ir of Hu deiba
,had be e n
s o im presse d by the tru th of a n d the ki n d
n e ss a n d ge n tle n e s s of i t s teacher, that very soon
afte r th e retu rn of the Moslems to Medi n a,he came
to the Prophe t a n d embra ced hi s religi o n .
“ Hi s
first ge n er ou s i m pu lse w as to re tu rn to Tayef, a n d
i n vi te hi s fellow-citi ze n s to share i n the blessi n gs
imparted by th e n ew fai th . Mahomet, well
k n ow i n g the i r b igotry a n d ig n ora n ce, warn e d him
repe a tedly of the dan ge r, b u t Orwa, presu mi n g
o n hi s pop u lar i ty a t Taye f, p ersisted i n the de sign .
Arr ivi n g i n th e eve n i n g, he made pu bli c hi s con
ve rsi o n , a n d ca lle d u po n the people to joi n him .
”1L
Th e followi n g mor n i n g h e aga i n addresse d them ;b u t th e fre n zy of the rabble wa s rou sed by h i s
words,a n d they mu rde red h im .
“ He had offered
u p, he sa id, h i s blood u n to h i s Ma ster for the sake
of h i s pe ople : he ble sse d God w i th his dyi n g
bre ath for th e ho n ou r of martyrdom ; a n d he
prayed hi s fr i e n ds to bu ry h im by the side of the
Moslems who had falle n at Hu n ai n .
”i It w as
See a n te , p . 1 2 1 n ote . T Mu i r, vol . i v . p . 20 3, 20 4 .
t Ibid I bn -H isham,pp . 9 14, 9 1 5 I bn -al-Ath i r, vol . i i . p . 2 1 6 .
42 SUBMI S SION or THE THAKI F.
after thi s that the Taye fi te s , wearyin g of the hosti
li ty they had to wage with the tribes of the desert,s e n t the depu ta ti on to whi ch w e have refe rre d
above , to pray for forgive n ess a n d permissi o n to
e n ter the ci rcle of Islam . They, how ever, begge d
for a short respi te for their idols . First they a ske d
two years,the n on e year
,an d the n six mo n ths ;
b u t all to n o pu rpose . “ The gra ce of on e mo n th
might su rely be co n ceded,
” they u rged a s a la st
appeal . Mohammed was immovable . Islam a n d
the idols cou ld n ot exist together . They the n
begged for exemptio n from the daily prayers . Mo
hammed replied that w ithou t devotion religio n
cou ld be n othi n g .
>x< Sorrowfu lly a n d a t last they
su bmitted to all that wa s requ ired of them . They
were excu sed,however, from d estroyi n g the idols
with their own han ds, a n d the well-kn own Abu
S u fi é n,the son of Harb, a n d Mu gh i ra, the n ephew
of Orwa, were select ed for that work . They exe
ou ted their commission amidst u proariou s cries of
despair a n d gri ef from the women of Tayefx l'
The tribe of Tay had abou t thi s time proved re
calcitra n t, a n d thei r disaffe cti on was fostered by the
idolatro u s priesthood . A sma ll force was dispatche d
u nder Al i , to redu ce them i n to obedie n ce a n d to d e s
troy their idols . Ad i, the son of the famou s Hatim,
whose gen erosity a n d m u n ifi ce n‘
ce has been su n g by
I bn -al-A th i r, vol . 1 1 . p . 21 7 .
1 I bn -H i sham ,pp . 9 1 7, 9 1 8 Tabari, vol. i i i . pp . 1 61 -163.
144 THE IDOLATERS PROHIBITED .
(Y e fim -u n -Nahr), Al i read alou d to th e a ssembled
mu ltitu des the words which stru ck a t o n ce at the
heart of idolatry, a n d th e im morali ti es at te n dan t
u po n it : No i dolate r shall, after this year, perform
the pilgrimage n o o n e shall make the ci rcu it (of
the Temple) n aked ;>l< who eve r hath a tre aty wi th
the Prophet, it shall con ti n u e bi n di n g ti ll i t s te r
min atio n for the rest, fou r m o n ths ar e allow e d to
every m a n to retu r n to h is territories ; after tha t
there wi ll exist n o obligatio n o n the Prophet,ex
cept towards those with whom treaties have bee n
co n clu ded .
”1
‘
Thi s De claration of Di scharge, a s it is styled by
Moslem writers, was a ma n ifestatio n of far -s igh te d
wisdom on the part of the Prophet . It was i m pos
sib le that the state of society a n d morals whi ch the n
exi sted cou ld have co n ti n u ed the Idolaters,mixi n g
year after year with the Moslem pilgr ims, if allowed
to perform the lasciviou s a n d degradi n g ceremo n i es
of their cu ltu s, wou ld soo n have u n do n e what Mo
hammed had so laboriou sly accompl i shed .
(
“Hi story
had already see n a n other gift ed yet u n cu ltu red
bra n ch of the same stock a s the Arabs, settli n g amo n g
Idolaters their leaders had tried to pre serve the
worship of Jehovah by wholesale b u tcheri es of
worshippers of Baal . They had fai led miserably
Allu di n g to a di sgracefu l cu stom of the idolatrou s Arabs .
1 I b n -H isham ,pp . 9 2 1 , 9 22 ; I b n -al-A th i r, vol . i i . p . 222 ;
Abu lfeda, p . 8 7
m on APPROACHING THE KAABA. 145
The Is raelites had n ot o n ly su ccu mbed u n der the
e vil in flu en ces which su rrou n ded them, b u t had even
su rpassed those whom they at first de spised, i n the
practice of abomin atio n s whi ch ca n n ot be n amed .
Was Mohammed to follow the example of these
a n cie n t Semites, or even the later examples afforded
by the followers of Christian ity, who persecu ted each
other for the sake of bri n gi n g abou t a harmo n y i n
the hu ma n co n cepti on con cern i n g the n atu re of some
bread a n d win e ? No . With the i n spiration of gen i u s
Mohammed adopted mea n s, se emi n gly harsh, b u t yet
mercifu l an d ben ign an t i n thei r u ltimate te n de n cy .
The va st co n cou rse of pi lgrims who had li sten ed to
Ali,retu rned to the ir homes, a n d before the follow
i n g ye ar was well over, the majority of them were
Moslems .
NOTE TO CHAPTER I X.
I t i s a grea t m i stake to su ppose that Ali read a n y con ti n u ou s port ion of the Kora n on thi s occasio n . Most probably the Declaration ”
took i ts origi n from the stron g an d i n spired fee li n g expre ssed i n thechapte r whi ch co n serve s i ts sp iri t (chap . Thi s chapter refers toso m an y i n cide n ts, whi ch occu rred at di ffere n t periods, that i t i shardly probable tha t Ali cou ld have m ade i t the text of a con ti n u edd i scou rse . SirW . Mu i r evi de n tly looks u pon thi s declaration as the
e n u n ci ati on of u n com prom i si n g warfare .
” I n this,as i n other
thi n gs, he i s carri ed away by h is Chri stian prej u di ce agai n st the re1i ~gion of Moham m ed, e ve n to the le n gth of looki n g wi th favou rableeye s u pon th e gross i dola try of the Arabs, (vol . i v . p . He
also takes occas ion to m e n tion that Moham m ed havi n g so lo n g de
146 NOTES .
ce i ved the Jews an d Christian s wi th vai n profe ssion s of a ttachm en t tothe ir scriptu re s, n ow fi n al ly parted from them "
(p .
‘
Moham m e dhad abou t th i s tim e de n ou n ced i n bi tter term s the sham eless i n iqu i ti e sof the Jew s a n d Chri stia n s (of those days), a n d i n the Koran the irm on ks an d pri e sts were ju stly an d tru ly called the devou rers ofthe wealth of the people i n van i ty ; (chap . i x . v . Thi s
, accordi n g to Sir W. Mu i r , i s decei vi n g the Jews an d Christian s, an d fi n allybreaki n g wi th them !
148 THE COMPLETION or MOHAMMED’S MISSION .
been in u tter darkness . ’ He fou n d them su n k i n
a d egradi n g a n d sa n gu i n ary su perstitio n , an d he i n
Spi red them with the beli ef i n one sole God of Tru th
a n d Love . He saw them disu n ited a n d e n gaged in
perpetu al con flict with each other, an d he u n ited them
by the ties of brotherhood a n d chari ty . From time
beyo n d memory,” to qu oteMgg g Mecca
, a n d the
whole Peni n su la had been steeped in Spiritu al
torpor . The slight a n d t ran sien t in flu en ces of
Ju daism, Christian ity, or Philosophy, u pon the
Arab min d, had bee n b u t as the ru ffli n g here a n d
there of the su rface of a qu iet lake all remain ed
still a n d motion less be low . The people were su n k
i n su perstitio n,cru elty, a n d vice . It was a commo n
practice for the eldest son to marry his father’ s
widows,1' in herited as property with the rest of
the e state . Pride had in trodu ced amon g them,
as it has amo n g the Hindoos, the crime of femalei n fan t icid e i l The life
to come a n d retribu tio n of good an d evil,were
,
a s motives of action , prac tically u nk n own .
” On ly
a few years ag o, this was the conditio n of Arabia .
What a change had thes e few years witn essed It
seemed as i f the angel of Heave n had passed over
Koran , chap . lxii . vv . 2-5 .
1 Thi s cu stom was bra n ded i n the Koran as the Ntkah-a l-m akt,
m arri age of abom i n ation ,
”or abom i n able m arr iage .
”
THE COMPLETION OF MOHAMMED’S M I SS I ON . 149
the la n d, a n d breathed harmo n y an d love i n to the
hearts of those who had before been e n grossed in
the most i n hu man practices of semi-barbari sm .
What had on ce been a moral desert,where all laws,
moral an d d ivine, were con temned an d infrin ged
wi thou t remorse, was tran sformed into a garden .
Idolatry, with its n ameless abomin ations, was
u tterly de stroyed . Lon g had Christia n ity a n d
Ju daism tried to wean the Arab tribes from their
gross su perstition s, b u t it was n ot till they heard
the spirit-stirri n g strai n s of the Arabian Prophet,
that they became co n sci ou s of the presen ce of the
God of Tru th overshadowi n g the u n i verse with His
power an d love . He n ceforth their aims are not of
this earth alon e ; there is somethi n g beyon d the
grave, - higher, pu rer, a n d divi n er,—callin g them tothe practice of charity, goodn ess, ju sti ce, an d
u niversal love . God is n ot merely the God of to-dayor to-morrow,
—carved ou t of wood or ston e, b u t
the mighty,lovi n g
,mercifu l, thou gh u n seen , Creator
of the world . Mohammed was the sou r ce, u n der
Provid en ce, of this n ew awaken in g, —the brightfou n tai n from which flowed the stream of their hopes
of etern i ty ; an d to him they paid a fittin g obedie n ce
a n d reveren ce . They were all a n imated with on e
d e si re, n amely, to serve God i n tru th an d pu rity, to
obey His laws reve re n tly in all the affa irs of life .
The tru ths a n d maxims,the precepts which, from
time to time du rin g the past twe n ty years, Moham
1 5 0 SUPERIORITY or MOHAMMED .
med had delivered to his followers, were embalmed
i n their hearts , a n d had become the ru lin g prin ciples
of every action . Law a n d morality were u n ited .
Never, sin ce the days whe n primitive Christia n ity
startled the world from its sleep a n d waged a
mortal con flict with Heathen ism, had m e n seen
the like arou sin g of spiritu al li fe, —the like faith
that su ffered sacrifice a n d took joyfu lly the
spoi lin g of goods for con scien ce’
The Mi ssion of Mohammed w as n ow a ecom
pli she d, a n d in thi s fact— the fact of the whole
work bein g a chieved i n h i s life-time— lies his di s
t i n ct ive su periority over the prophets, sages, a n d
philosophers of other times a n d cou n tri es -Jesu s,
Moses,Zoroaster
,Sakya -Mu n i
, Plato, all had their
n otio n s of Realms of God, their Repu blics, their
Idea s— throu gh whi ch degraded hu man ity w as to
be elevated i n to a n ew moral life . All had departed
from this world with the ir a spiratio n s u n fu lfilled,
thei r bright vi si on s u n realiz ed or had bequ eathed
the task of elevati n g thei r fe llow -m e n to sa n gu in ary
disciples or mo n arch-pu pils x l' It was reserved for
Mohammed to fu lfil his mi ssion an d that of his pre
d e ce ssors . It was reserved for him alon e to see
a ccomplished the work of amelioratio n . No royal
Mu ir, vol . 11 . p . 269 .
1' A Josu ah am o n g the Israeli tes ; an A soka am on g the Bu ddhi sts ;
a Dari u s am o n g the Zoroastria n s a Co n stan ti n e am on g th e Chri stian s .
1 5 2 FAREWELL ADDRESS OF MOHAMMED .
An d you r Slaves See that ye feed them with
su ch food as ye eat you rselve s ; an d clothe them
wi th the stu ff ye wear ; an d if they commit a
fau lt which ye ar e n ot i n clin ed to forgive, then
part from them,for they are the servants of the
Lord, a n d are n ot to be harshly treated .
”
Ye Pe Ople ! Listen to m y words an d u n der
sta n d the sam e . Kn ow tha t all Moslems are
brothers u nto on e a n other . Ye are on e brother
hood . Nothin g which belo n gs to another is law
fu l u n to his brother, u n less freely given ou t of
good-will . Gu ard you rselves from committing
Let him that is present tell it u n to h im that i s
absen t . Haply,he that shall be told m ay remem
ber better than he who hath heard it .”
Towards the con clu sion of his di scou rse, Mo
hammed, overpowered by the sight of the i n ten se
en thu siasm of the people as they dran k in hi s
words,exclaimed, O Lord ! I have delivered my
message,
an d a ccomplished my work .
”The
a ssembled hosts below with o n e voi ce cried,
“ Ye a,
verily,thou hast .” O Lord ! I beseech thee
,
be ar thou witn ess u n to it .”
Wi th these words the Prophet fi n ished his ad
dress, which, traditio n reports, w as remarkable for
its le n gth, i ts fervid eloqu en ce, a n d e n thu sia sm .
Soo n after, the n ecessary rites of the pilgrimage
I b n -H isham , pp . 968,9 69 .
LAST YEAR or THE PROPHET’S LIPE . 1 5 8
bei n g fin i shed, the Prophet retu rn ed wi th his fol
lowers to Medi n a .
The last year of Mohammed’s life was spen t in
that city . I n the early part of the year,he settled
the organ isati on of the provin ces a n d tribal com
m u n i t i e s, whi ch n ow formed the component parts of
the Moslem federation . Preparations were also
commen ced to e n force from the Byza n ti n es the
lon g-delayed reparation for the mu rder of the en voy
i n Syria ; b u t this, as well a s the pu n ishme n t of
several preten ders who had started u p i n the ou t
lyi n g provin ces,claimin g Divi n e commission for
their reign of li ce n ti ou sn ess an d plu n der,* was
stopped by the severe i lln e ss of the Prophet, a n d
the evide n t sign s of h is approachi n g dissolu tion .
The poi so n given to h im by the Jew e ss at Khaibar
had slowly penetrated h i s system, a n d its effe cts
now became visible .
Th e last days of the Prophet were remarkable for
the calmn ess a n d seren i ty of his min d,which en abled
h im ,thou gh weak a n d feeble, to preside at the pu bli c
praye rs u n ti l within three days of h i s death . On e
night, at m idn ight, he wen t to the place where h i s
old compa n i o n s were lyin g i n the slu mber of death ,
a n d prayed a n d wept by their tombs, i n vokin g God’ s
blessi n gs for hi s compa n io n s restin g i n peace .
”
He chose Aye sha’s hou se, close to the mosqu e, for
For a fu ll accou n t of those Pre te n ders , see C . d e Perceval ,vol . i i i . p 30 9 , e t seq .
1 5 4 LAST HOURS or THE PROPHET .
his stay du ri n g his illn ess, a n d a s lon g as h i s
stren gth lasted, took part i n the pu bli c prayers .
The last tm e he appeared i n the mosqu e, he was
su pported by his two cou sin s, Ali, a n d Fadhl the
son of Abbas . A smile of i n expressible softn ess
a n d sweetness played over his cou n t e n an ce, a n d
was remarked by all who su rrou nded him . Placed
on a seat (after the u su al praises an d hym n s to
God), he addressed the mu ltitu de thu s Moslems ,if I have wron ged a n y on e of you , here I am to
a n swer for it if I owe au ght to a n y on e , all I m ay
happen to possess belo n gs to you .
” Upon hearin g
this,a m an in the crowd rose a n d claimed three
dirhems which he had give n to a poor m an at the
Prophet’s requ est . They were immedi ately paid
back wi th the words Better to blu sh i n thi s world
tha n i n the n ext .” The Prophet the n prayed an d
implored heaven ’ s mercy for those presen t, a n d for
those who had falle n i n the persecu ti o n s of their
e n emi es ; a n d recommen ded to all h i s pe ople the
observa n ce of religiou s du ties a n d the practi ce of a
li fe of peace a n d goodwill, a n d con clu de d by the
follow in g words of the Koran , The dwelli n g of the
other life we wi ll give u n to them,who do n ot se ek
to exalt themse lves on e arth or to do wro n g for
the happy issu e shall atten d the
Koran , chap . xxvi i i . v . 83 I b n -al-Ath i r, vol . i i . p . 241 Tabari,
vol . i i i . p . 20 7, et seq. Both Tabari a n d I b n -al-A th i r say that thelatter part of the exh ortatio n was addressed to the com pa n y who
1 5 6 PERSONAL CHARACTER .
n atio n , elevatio n of m in d, deli cacy a n d refin emen t
of fe eling . He is more modest than a virgi n
behi n d her cu rtai n ,’ it w as said of him . He was
most in du lgent to his inferiors, an d wou ld never
a llow his awkward little page to be scolded, what
ever he did . Te n years,’ said An as, his servant,
was I abou t the Prophet, an d he never said so mu ch
as Ufl to m e .
’ He was very affectionate
towards his family . One of his boy s died on his
breast, in the smoky hou se of the nu rse, a black
smith’ s wife . He was very fond of chil dren . He
wou ld stop them i n the streets a n d pat their little
cheeks . He never stru ck a n y on e i n his life . The
worst expression he ever made u se of i n co n versa
tion was, What has come to him — m ay his fore
head be darke n ed with m u d ! ’ When a sked to
cu rse some on e , he replied, I have n ot been sent to
cu rse, b u t to be a Mercy to m a n kin d .
”1
He visited the Sick,followed a n y bier he met,
accepted the invitation of a slave to dinn er, men ded
hi s ow n clothes,milked his goats, an d waited u pon
himself,’ relates su mmarily a n other trad i tion i
He never first withdrew his han d ou t of a n other’ s
palm, a n d tu rned n ot before the other had tu rned .
His ha n d, we read elsewhere—an d tradition s like
these give a good in dex of what the Ar abs ex
Mi shkat, bk . xx iv . chap . 4,pt . 1 . T Ib id .
1 Mishkat , Bk . xxi v. chap . 4, pt . 2 .
CHARACTER O P THE PROPHET . 1 5 7
i
pe cted their Prophet to b e—was the most gen erou s,
his breast the most cou rage ou s, h i s to n gu e the
most tru thfu l ; he was the most faithfu l protector
of those he prote cted ; the sw eetest a n d most
agreeable i n conversation ; those who saw him
were su dde n ly filled with reverence ; those who
came n ear him loved him they who de scribed him
wou l d say,‘ I have never see n his like either
He was of great tacitu rn ity, a n d
whe n he spoke, he spoke with emphasis a n d de
libera t ion, a n d no one cou ld ever forget what he“ Modesty a n d ki n dness, patie n ce, self.
den ial, a n d gen erosity pervaded his co n du ct, an d
rivete d the affection s of all arou n d him .
” Wi th
the bereaved a n d affl icted he sympathised t e n
d e rly .
” He shared his food eve n i n times of
scarcity with others ; an d was sedu lou sly solicitou s
for the person al comfort of every on e abou t him .
”1‘
He loved the poor an d respected them . Man y of
those who had n o home or shelter of their ow n,slept
a t n ight i n the mosqu e con tigu ou s to his hou s e .
Each even i n g it was h i s cu stom to in vite some of
them to partake of his hu mble fare . The others be
be fore or after .
I have gi ve n the above passage , i n eaten so, from Mr . Deu tsch’s
Essay on Islam ,i n the Q u ar terly Revi ew , No . 25 4, as m u ch for the
e loqu e n t words, i n which he has clothed the tradi t ion s, as for show i n g
the Opi n i on of on e of the grea te st thi n kers of Eu rope regard i n g Moh am m ed
’
s character . The tradi t ion s them se lve s I have verified, a n d
g iy e n the refere n ce s where wa n ted . Com pare also Abu lfeda, p . 94 .
1 Mu ir,vol . iv . 30 5 .
1 5 8 CHARACTER OF'
THE PROPHET .
came the gu ests of his prin cipal di sciples . * His
co n du ct towards the most bitter of his enemies was
marked by a n oble clemen cy a n d forbearan ce .
Stern, almost to severity, to the en emies of the S tate
-mockin gs,affronts, ou trages a n d persecu tions to
wards himself were, i n the hou r of triu mph—syn on y
mou s with the hou r of trial to the hu man heart—all
bu ried in oblivion , a n d forgiveness was extended to
the worst crimin als !Mohammed was extremely Simple in his habits .
His eatin g a n d drin kin g, his dress a n d his fu rnitu re,retain ed to the very last a character of patriarchal
simplicity . Ma n y a time, Abd Hu raira reports, had
the Prophet to go withou t a meal . Dates a n d water
frequ ently formed his only nou rishmen t . Often , for
months together, n o fire cou ld be lighted i n his hou se
from scan ti n ess of mea n s . God, say the Moslem
historians, had in deed pu t before him the key to the
trea su res of this world, b u t he refu sed it .
Abu lfeda, p . 9 9 Cau ssi n d e Perceval, vol . i i i . p . 334 .
T Com pare Mu ir, vol . iv. pp . 30 6, 30 7 .
1 60 PRINCIPAL BASE S or THE I SLAM I C LAWS.
(or, in the Un seen ), who observe the prayers, a n d
distri bu te (charity) ou t of what we have bestowed
on them a n d who believe i n that which We have
commissio n ed thee with, an d i n that We com
missioned others with, before thee, a n d who have
assu rance in the life to come —these have received
the direction of their
The principal ba ses on whi ch the e n tire system of
the Islamic laws is bu ilt, are , firstly (1) a belief in
the u n ity, immateriality, power, mercy a n d su preme
love of the Creator ; (2) charity a n d brotherhood
amo n g mankin d (3) su bju gation of the passion s
(4) the ou tpou rin g of a gratefu l heart to the Giver
of all gifts ; a n d (5 ) a ccou n tability for hu man
actions in another existence . The gra n d a n d n oble
concep tions, expressed i n the Kora n , of the power
a n d love of the Deity su rpa ss everythi n g of their
kin d . The Un ity of God , His immateriality, His
m ajesty, His mercy form the con sta n t a n d never
ending theme of the most eloqu en t a n d sou l-stirrin g
pa ssages . The flow of life,light an d spiritu ali ty
never ceases . Bu t throu ghou t, there is no trace of
dogmatism . Appeal i s made to the in n er con sci ou s
n ess of m an , t o hi s in tu itive reaso n alon e .
Bu t i n order to elu cidate more fu lly the distin ctive
character of Moham med’s teachin gs regardi n g the
D ivin ity, a brief glan ce at the state of opi n io n amo n g
thevariou s religiou s sects i n Arab ia,w ill n ot be ami ss .
Koran , chap . i i . v . 1 -6 .
IDEA o r CODHEAD AMONG THE ARARS . 161
Amo n g the heathen Arabs, the idea of Godhead
varied a ccordin g to the cu ltu re of the in dividu al or
of the cla n . With some i t rose (comparatively
speakin g) to the divi n isatio n ” or d e ifi cation of
n atu re ; among others it fe ll to Simple fetishism,
the adoration of a piece of dou gh, a stick,or a
stone . Some believed in a fu tu re life ; others hadn o i dea of it whatever . The heathen Arabs had
thei r groves , their oracle-trees, their priestesses
like the Syro-Phoen ician s . Phallic worship was n ot
u n k n own to them ; a n d the ge n erative powers re
ce ived adoratio n , like the hosts of heave n , u n der
mo n u m e n ts of ston e a n d wood . The Wi ld den ize n s
of the desert, the n as n ow , cou ld n ot be impe rviou s
to the idea of some u n seen ha n d drivin g the blasts
which swept ove r whole tracts, or formin g the
beau tifu l visio n s which rose before the traveller to
lu re h im to d e s tru ct ion . Bu t above all, there floated
a n in tan gible,u n realised co n ception of a su perior
Dei ty, the Lprd of All .*
The Jews,those great co n servators of the mo n o
thei stic idea, as they have been ge n erally regarded
i n hi story, probably might have assisted i n the form
a tio n of this co n ceptio n . Bu t they them selves
Showed wha t stra n ge metamorphoses can take place
i n the thou ghts of a n ati o n , whe n n ot aided by a
hi stori cal a n d ra ti o n ali sti c e lemen t i n the ir re ligiou s
code .
Shahrastan i, i n loco. Cau 5 s i n d e Perceval, vol . i . p . 348 .
M
162 CONCEPTION OF CODHEAD AMONG THE JEW S .
The Jew s had entered Arabia a t variou s times , an d
u nde r the pressu re of vari ou s circu mstan ces . Natu r
a lly, the ideas of the differe n t bodies of emigra n ts,r efu gees or colon ists wou ld vary mu ch . The ideas
of the m e n driven ou t by the Assyrians or Babylo
n ia n s w ou ld be more a n thropomorphic, more a n thro
popath ic, tha n of those who fled before Vespasia n ,
Trajan,or Hadrian . The characteristics which had
led the I sraelites repeatedly to lapse in to idolatry in
their origin al homes, when Seers were in their midst
to denou n ce their backslidin gs, wou ld hardly preserve
them from the heathenism of their Arab brothers .
With a n idea of the God of Abraham,
” they wou ld
natu r ally combi n e a materiali stic co n ceptio n of the
Deity, an d hence w e fi n d them reari n g a statu e r e
presen tin g Abraham with the ram beside him,ready
for sacrifice,’ i n the i n terior of the Kaaba .
*
Amo n gs t the later com ers, the Sham m ai te s a n d
the Zealots formed by far the largest proportio n .
Among them,the worship of the law verged u pon
idolatry, an d the Scribes an d Rabbin s claimed a
respect alm ost approachin g adora tion . They b e
li eved themselves to be the gu ardia n s of the people,th e preservers of law a n d traditio n ,
“ livi n g e x em
plars an d mirrors, in which the tru e mode of li fe,a ccordin g to the law , w as preserved .
”1' They
looked u pon themselves as the flower of the n atio n ,
Sye d Ahm ed;Essays on the Life of Moham m ed , Ess . i i i . p . 1 1 .
f Doll i n ger, The Ge n ti le an d the Jew, vol . i i . p . 30 8 .
1 64 IDEA or GODHEAD AMONG THE CHRISTIANS .
a tin selled goddess, who represen ted the pu re
Mother of Je s u s fi i< Bu t this degradatio n of hu ma n
rea so n was n ot co n fined to the Christian s of Arabia .
Eve n at the Cou n cil of Nice,which defin itely settled
the n atu re of Jesu s, there were men who held tha t
besides God the Father,
” there were two other
Gods—Christ a n d the Virgi n Maryd'
Again st all the absu rdities we have d escribed
above,the life-a i m of Moham med w as directed .
Addressin g, with the voice of Tru th, i n spired by
deep commu n ion with the God of the u n iverse, the
fetish worshippers of the Arabia n tribes on on e Side,a n d the followers of degraded Christian ity an d
Ju daism on the other, Mohammed, that ma ster of
speech,”a s he ha s bee n so nobly called , never tra
The Collyridia n s i n trodu ced the Virgi n Mary for God or wor
sh ipped h er as su ch , offer i n g her a sort of twi s ted cake cal led collym’
s,
whe n ce the se ct had i ts n am e—Sa le , Prel . Di scou rse , p . 35 . See
a lso Moshe im vol . i . p . 432 .
TMoshe im s Eccle siasti cal Hi st . vol . i . p . 432 . The Rom an i stse ve n n ow , i t i s sa id, call the m other of Je su s the com plem en t of theTri n i ty . Com p . also Hallam , Co n st . H is t . of E n glan d , chap . i i . p .
7 5 . From the text i t w i ll be see n how m u ch tru th there i s i n the
a ssertio n , tha t Islam de ri ved “everythi n g good i t co n tai n s” from
Ju dai sm or Chri sti a n i ty . It has bee n the fashion ,” says De u tsch ,to ascribe Whatever i s good’ i n Moham m edan i sm to Chri st ian i ty . We fe ar thi s theory i s n ot com patible w i th the re su l ts ofhon es t i n ve stigatio n . For of Arabi an Chri sti a n i ty, a t the t im e ofMoham m ed , the less sai d perhaps the be tter . By the s ide of i t
eve n m odern Am hari c Chri stia n i ty,of wh i ch we posse ss
su ch astou n d i n g accou n ts, appe ars pu re a n d exa lted .—Q u ar terly
Rev i ew,No . 2 5 4 , p . 31 5 .
KORANIC CONCEPT I ON or THE DEI'
I‘
Y . 1 6 5
v e lle d ou t of the provi n ce of rea so n , a n d m ade
them all blu sh at the mo n strou sn e ss of their beliefs .
Mohammed, the gra n d apostle of the u n ity of God,
thu s stan ds forth i n h i story i n noble con flict w ith
the retrogressive te n de n cy of m a n to associate other
bei n gs with the Creator of the u n iverse .*
Ever a n d anon i n the Koran occu r passages,
fervid a n d bu rn ing, like the followin g You r
God is on e God ; there is no God b u t He, the
most mercifu l . I n the creatio n of the heave n a n d
earth, a n d the altern ation of n ight a n d d ay , a n d
i n the ship which sai le th on the se a, lade n with
what is profitable to man kin d ; a n d i n the rain
water which God sen deth from heaven , qu i cke n
i n g again the dead earth, a n d the a n imals of all
sorts which cover its su rface ; a n d i n the chan ge
of wi n ds, a n d the clou ds bala n ced be tween heaven
a n d earth,—are sign s to people of u n dersta n din g
yet some m e n take idols beside God, a n d love
them as with the love d u e to God .
”1' What a
depth of sympathy towards those be n ighted people
do these w ords co n vey . Again It is He who
cau seth the lightn i n g to appear u nto you , (to
I n com bati n g tha t fu n dam e n tal te n e t of Chri stian i ty, the son
sh ip of Chris t,” i t was n ot Moham m ed’s provi n ce to dec ide whe ther
a D em i u rge , a Logos (half-h u m an half-divi n e , half-m ythi c half-h is
torical) i s requ i red or n ot as m ediator or com m u n i ca tor be twee n God
a n d m an . He looked to the h i stori cal character alo n e of Jesu s , a n d
the e ffe cts of the cu l tu s am o n g the su rrou n d i n g people .
TKoran , chap . i i . vv . 1 5 8 -1 60 .
166 KORANIC CONCEPTION OR THE DEITY .
strike) fear a n d (to raise) hope ; a n d formeth the
pregnant clou ds The thu n der celebrat e th His
pra ise, a n d the a n gels also He lau n ches
his thu n derbolts, a n d striketh therewith whom
He pleaseth while they dispu te con cern in g Him .
It is He who of right ou ght to be i n
vok ed ; a n d those (the idols) whom they in voke
besides Hi m,shall not respond to them at all ;
otherwise than as he, who stretcheth forth his
ha n ds to the water that it m ay a scen d to his
mou th, when it can not asce n d“ He
hath created the heaven s a n d the earth to (man i
fest His) ju stice . Far be that from Him which
they a ssociate with Him . He hath created m an
a n d behold he is a professed dispu ter . He
hath likewise created the cattle for you . An d
they are likewi se a credi t u n to you ,when they come
troopi n g home at eve n i n g time or ar e led forth to
pastu re i n the morn . An d He hath s u b
je cte d the night an d day to you r service a n d the
s u n , an d the moo n ,an d the stars are all bou nd by
his laws It is He who hath su bjected the
se a u n to you , a n d thou seest the ships plou ghin g
the deep a n d that ye might ren der than ks .
Shall He therefore who createth be as he
who createth n ot ? Do ye not therefore take
heed ? If ye were to reckon u p the blessin gs of
Kora n , chap . xi i i . vv . 1 3-1 5 .
1 68 THE. CHRI ST1ANS AND THE JEW S .
idols . They say to th e u n believers,they are
“ better directed i n the right w ay tha n those tha t
beli eve (the The Jews say, Ezra“ is the son of God ; the Christian s say , Christ is
the son of God . May God resist
them . How infatu ated they are . They take their
prie sts a n d their mo n ks for their lords beside s
God . They seek to exti n gu i sh the light of
God with their mou ths . ’ T The Jews a n d
the Christia n s say, We are the childre n of God, a n d
His beloved .
”1
“ Ma n y of those u n to whom
the scriptu res have bee n give n ,§ desire to ren der
you again u n believers,after ye have believed
Be co n sta n t in prayer, a n d give alms ; a n d what
good ye have se n t be fore you for you r sou ls, ye
shall fi n d it with God .
” “ They say, Ver ily
n o n e Shall e n ter paradise, except those who are
Jews or Christia n s . Say , Produ ce you r proof
if ye Speak the tru th . Nay , b u t he who d irecteth
him self towards God, a n d doth tha t which is right,he shall have h i s reward w i th his Lord .
”I]
O ye who have re ce ive d th e scr iptu re s exceed n ot
th e j u st bou n ds i n you r religi o n ; n either say of
God otherwi se tha n the tr u th . Ve ri ly,Chr ist Je s u s
the son of Mary is the apostle of God,an d Hi s
Kora n , chap . i v . v . 49 .
”r Kora n , chap . i x . vv . 30 -32 .
1 Kora n , chap . v . v . 2 1 .
The Jew s a n d Chri stian s , a n d probably the Zoroastrian s .NKora n , chap . i i . vv . 1 0 5 , 1 0 6 .
COMMENDATI ON OF THE RI GHTEOUS .
Word . Beli eve the r e fore i n God a n d Hi s apostles
a n d say n ot , There are three Gods forbear this
Christ doth n ot pro u dly di sdai n to be a serva n t
u n to
The followin g pa ssage shows the feelin g with which
su ch re li g iOu s con ceptio n s were regarded They
say the God of Mercy hath begotten a son (or
i ssu e) . Now have ye u ttered a grievou s thi n g ; a n d
it wa n teth b u t l i ttle that th e heaven shou ld b e torn
ope n , a n d tha t the earth cleave a su n der,a n d the
mou n ta i n s fall dow n,for that they attr ibu te childre n
u n to the Me rcifu l, where as i t i s n ot mee t for God
to have chi ldre n . Ver ily,there is n o n e i n he ave n
or on earth, b u t shall approach the Merci fu l a s His
se rva n t . He e n com pa sse th them . T
Bu t the i n spired Prea cher does n ot co n fou n d the
good with the bad . His missi on i s to proclaim th e
tru th,a n d he mu st give all m e n their d u e . Y e t
they are n ot all alike the re are of those who have
re ceived the scriptu res, u pright people they
meditate on the sign s of God i n the n ight sea so n ,
a n d worship ; they believe i n God,an d the la st
d ay a n d comman d tha t which is j u st a n d forbid
that which i s u n ju st, a n d zealou sly strive to excel
i n good works the se are of the righteo u s .”j;
Kora n , chap . i v . vv . 1 6 9 , 1 70 .
”r Koran ,
chap . x i x . vv . 9 1 -9 4 .
1 Koran , chap . 111. vv . 1 0 9 , 1 1 0 .
1 70 KORANIC CONCEPTION or THE DEITY .
The mercy of the Almighty is on e of the gra n dest
themes of the Koran . The very n ame [Ar-Rahm éi n ]by which God is often di stin gu ished a n d i n voked,expresses a deep, all-pe n etrati n g co n viction regard
i n g the mercy of the
Kora n , chap . i i i . verse 124 chap . x x v . verse 5 0 chap . x xvi i i .verse 74 chap . x li i . verse 3, e tc . etc .
1 72 THE CONCEPTION or PRAYER
The Mago -Zoroa strian a n d the Sabean lived i n a n
a tm osphere of prayer . The Zoroa stria n prayed whe n
he s n eezed,whe n he cu t his n a ils or hair, whi le pre
parin g meals,d ay a n d n ight
, at the lightin g of lamps,&c . Ormu zd w as first in voked, a n d the n n ot o n ly
heaven , earth, the eleme n ts a n d stars, b u t trees,
e specially the moo n -plan t,* a n d bea sts . The
formu lae were ofte n to b e repeated,
a s ma n y as
twelve hu n dred times -
r The moral idea, however
pu re i n some ca ses, wo u ld be perfectly elimin ated
from the min ds of the commo n people . Bu t eve n
the sort of spiritu al life , e n joyed by excep tio n al
min ds, was i n ma n y cases m o n opoli sed by the
mi n isters of religion . The barriers of especial holi
ness which divided the priesthood from the laity,shu t ou t the latter, more or less, from all spir itu al
enjoymen ts of a nobler type . The Magian s,like the
Oph ici , had two forms of worship, or rather two
modes of u n derstandin g the objects of worship ; on e
esoteric,especially reserved for the priestly cla sses,
the other exoteric,i n which a lo n e the vu lgar cou ld
par t i cipate i
Called Som a by the San scri ti c, an d Hom a or Haom a by the Ze n drace s .f Doll i n ger, The Ge n t i le a n d the Jew , vol . i . p . 398 . The Ze n dAve sta i tse lf i s a gran d repertory of prayers
,hym n s
, i n vocation s ,&c . to a m u l ti tu de of de i ti e s, am o n g whom Orm u zd ra n ks first . I n
fact i t i s a book of l i tu rg ie s . Com p . Clarke, Te n Grea t Re ligi o n s,
pp . 1 8 7 an d 20 2 .
t Re la n d , D i ssertation es Mi scellan ea, part i . p . 1 9 1 . Shahrastan i .
AMONG THE JEWS . 1 73
The Mosaic law contain ed n o ord in a n ces respect
i n g prayers ; o n ly o n the payme n t of ti thes to the
priests, an d the domesti c solemn ity of the prese n ta
tion of the fi rs tli n g s, was there a prescribed formu la
of praye r a n d ack n owledgme n t, whe n th e fathe r of
the hou se, on the str en gth of hi s havi n g obedi e n tly
performe d the behests of the law ,su pplicated bless
i n gs from Jehovah on Isra el,eve n , as He had
sworn u n to their Bu t with the rise of
a more Spiritu al idea of the Deity, amo n g the people
a n d the teachers,a n d the decli n e of a n u n com pro
misi n g anthropomorphism,the rea l n atu re of prayer,
a s the medi u m of in te rcommu n i catio n betwee n God
a n d m an, bega n to be u n derstood . Tradi tio n a n d
cu st om,i n defa u lt of an y express regu la ti o n by the
law , made the Jews at last, as Dollin ger says, a people
of pray er s l' Three hou rs dai ly were co n secrated to de
votion al exercises, vi z . n in e, twelve, an d three o’ clock .
The n ecessi ty,however
,for the service of priests,
comb ined with the absen ce of a n y positive preceden t
comi n g d own from the Lawgiver himself, te n ded to
make prayer, i n the majori ty of cases, merely m e
chan i cal . Phylacteries were i n u se i n the time of
Jesu s, a n d the Kora n reproaches the Jews i n b i tte r
terms for selli n g the sign s of God .
”I
The teachi n gs of Je su s, represen ti n g a later deve
lopm e n t of th e religi o u s facu lty i n m an , recogn i se d
De u t . xxv i . 12 - 1 5 . T Doll i n ge r, vol . i i . p . 372 .
l: Koran ,chap . i i . v . 38 .
1 74 CONCEPTION or PRAYER AMONG CHRISTIANS .
the tru e character of prayer . He co n secrated the
pra ctice by his own example .* The early di sciples,i n the tru e spirit of their Ma ster
,laid great stres s
o n the habit of devotion an d tha n ksgivin g to Godz iBu t the wa n t of some defin ite ru le for the gu ida n ce
of the masses i n process of time left them completely
adrift in all that regarded the practice of devotio n ,a n d u n der su bjection to the priests
,who monopo
li se d the ofli ce of regu latin g the n u mber,len gth
,a n d
the termin ology of prayers . He n ce missals, litu rgies,cou n cils a n d co n voca tion s to set tle articles of fa ith
a n d matters of con sci e n ce ; he n ce a lso the mecha
n i cal worship of dro n ing mon ks,a n d the hebdomada l
flockin g into chu rches a n d chapels on on e d ay i n the
w eek, to make u p for the defici e n cy of spiri tu al food
du ri n g the other six ; hen ce also the presbyter,
who, merely a serva n t” a t fi rst,;t came to regard
himself a s “ the lord of the spiritu al heritage”b e
qu eathe d by Jesu s .
All the se evi ls had cu lmi n ated to a poin t i n the
7th ce n tu ry, whe n the Prophet of Arab i a began to
preach a reformed religo n . I n in sti tu ti n g prayers,Mohammed recog n ised the year n i n g of the hu ma nsou l to pou r ou t i ts love a n d gra ti tu de to the Go d
of Tru th, a n d by makin g the practice of devoti o n
periodic, he impressed that discipli n ary character on
Lu ke,x i . 1 -4 . j e . g . Eph . vi . 18 Coloss . i . 12
,e t seq .
I Moshe im , Eccl . H i story (Maclai n e's Tra n sl . ) vol . i . p . 9 9
,et seq .
THE ISLAMIC CONCEPTION OF PRAYER .
to defen d me from that vice, which thou k n owest
a n d for forgive n ess of those fa u lts, which thou
kn owest . O m y Defen der a ssist me i n remember
i n g thee a n d bein g gratefu l to thee, a n d i n worship
pi n g thee with the excess of my stre n g th . 0 Lord
I have i n j u red my ow n sou l ; a n d n o on e ca n
pardo n the fau lts of thy serva n ts b u t thou forg ive
me ou t of thy lovin g ki n dn ess, a n d have mercy
on me for verily thou art the forgiver of offe n ces
a n d the bestower of blessi n gs o n thy
An othe r traditional prayer, called the prayer of
David, ru n s thu s O Lord, gran t to me the
love of Thee ; gra n t that I m ay love those that
love Thee gra n t that I m ay do the deeds tha t
m ay w i n thy love make thy love to be dearer to
me than myself, my family, tha n wealth, a n d eve n
than cool water . ’ 1It is on e of the glories of I slz’i m , says a n E n glish
writer,that its temples are n ot made with ha n ds
,
an d that its ceremo n ies can be performed a n ywhere
u po n God’
s earth or u n der Hi s heaven . I Every
place i n which the Almighty is faithfu lly worshipped
is equ ally pu re . The Moslem, whether he be a t home
or abroad when the hou r of prayer arrives,pou rs
forth his sou l i n a brief b u t earnest su pplicatory
M i shhat, Bk . iv . chap . 1 8 , parts 2 an d 3
1' Tafs i r-Jellé li , p . 28 8
1: Hu n ter, “ O u r I n dia n Mu salm an s , p . 1 79 .
THE ISLAM I C CONCEPT I ON or PRAYER . 1 77
address ; his a tten ti on i s not wearied by the le n gth
of his prayers,the theme of whi ch i s always se lf
hu mili atio n , the glorificati o n of the Giver of all good,a n d reli an ce on His mercy .
* The i n te n sity of the
d evotio n al spiri t embalmed i n the chu rch of Moham
med has hardly been realised by Chri ste n dom .
Tradi ti o n,that fa ithfu l chr o n i cler of the past amo n gst
the Moslems,wi th i ts hu n dre d corroborative w i t
n esses,records how the Prophet wept du ri n g hi s
prayers w ith the fervou r of h i s emoti o n s ; how h i s
n oble cou si n a n d son -i n -law became so absorbed i n
hi s devoti o n s, that h i s corporeal frame grew b e
n u m bed .
Certa in ceremo n i es are prescribed for the d u e ob
servan ce of the ri tes of prayer b u t , a s i t has be e n
sa id by the I m fim -al-Gha z z ali j‘ i t i s to the devoti o n al
state of the mi n d the Se archer of th e spir it looks z“;It is n ot the flesh or the blood of that whi ch ye
sacrifice whi ch is a cceptable to God I t i s you r
p i e ty which i s acceptable to the Lord . It i s
n ot r ighteou sn ess,” co n ti n u e s the Kora n , that y e
tu r n you r faces i n prayer towards th e e ast or th e
we st b u t r ighte o u s n ess i s of h im who beli eve th i n
God who giveth mo n ey for God’s sake
Koran ,chaps . i i . vv . 1 29 , 239 , &c . ; vu . vv . 20 4 , 20 5 x v . verse
1 32 xvi i . verse 7 9 xx . verse 1 30 xxx . vv. 1 6, 1 7, &c . , &c . See
the Ki tab-u l-Mu statr if .
‘
i‘
Se e post p . 1 79 .
I See th e Ki tab-u l-M u s tat i i f,chap . i .
Koran ,chap xxi i . verse 38 .
1 78 I SLAMIC CONCEPTION or MORAL PURITY .
u n to his ki n dred, a n d u n to orphan s, a n d the n eedy,a n d the s tra n ge r, a n d those who a sk
,a n d for the
redemptio n of captives who is co n stan t at prayers
a n d giveth alms a n d of those who perform thei r
cove n a n t, whe n they have cove n a n ted ; a n d who
behave th em elv e s patien tly i n adversity, a n d hard
ships, a n d i n times of vi ole n ce these ar e they who
are tru e . The practice of baptism i n the
Christian Chu rch, even the lu stratio n s which the
Egyptia n s, the Jews, or the hieropha n ts of the
heathe n religion s i n the Ea st a n d the West requ ired,as prelimi n ary to the performa n ce of devotio n al or
religiou s exercises, Show the pecu liar sa n ctity which
w as a ttached to extern al pu r ifi cation s . Mohammed
co n served a n d co n secrated thi s a n cien t a n d ben e
fi ce n t cu stom . He requ ired frequ en t ablu tion s as
proper prelimi n aries to the worship a n d adoratio n of
the P u re God rl' At the sam e time he especially i n
c u lcate d that mere extern al or rather physica l pu ri ty
w as n ot the e ssence of devotio n . He disti n ctly la id
down that the all-pervadin g Sou l of the Un iverse ca n
o n ly be approached i n pu rity a n d hu mili ty of spiri t iThe celebrated I m zi m -al-Ghaz z zi li expressly says, as
again st those who ar e o n ly solicitou s abou t extern a l
pu r ifi ca ti on s, a n d have their hearts fu ll of pride a n d
hypocrisy—that the Prophet of God declared tha t them ost im porta n t pu rificati o n is the clean sin g of the
Koran , chap . u . verse 1 72 . 1 Koran ,chap . i v. verse 5 6 .
I Koran , chap. v n . verse 20 4 .
1 80 CONCEPTION or FASTING I N ISLAM .
t ia n i ty, wi th re spect to fasts ge n era lly, is o n e of
pe n i ten ce or expiatio n a n d parti ally, of pre ce de n t -
t
Volu n tary corporeal m ort i fi cat i on s have bee n as fr e
qu e n t i n th e Chri stia n Chu rch as i n other chu rches
b u t the te n de n cy of su ch m or t i fi cat i on s has i n var i ably
bee n th e de stru ct i o n of me n tal a n d bodi ly e n ergi es
a n d the foste r i n g of a morb id a sce ticism . The i n
s t i t u t i on of fa sti n g i n Islam ,on the co n trary
,has the
legi tima te obj ect of re stra i n i n g the pa ssi o n s, by
di u rn al absti n en ce, for a limi te d a n d defin i te period,
from all the g ra tifi ca tion s of the se n ses, a n d of
d irecti n g the overflow of the a n ima l spiri ts i n to a
healthy chan n el . Mohammed’s religi o n ,a s a relig i on
of hu ma n i ty, strictly exclu ded all n oti o n s of a sceti c
m or tifi ca t ion s of the s e n s e s iThe wisdom, however, of the Koran ic laws i s more
appare n t i n the prohibitory ru les tha n eve n i n the
posi tive enactmen ts . The followi n g co n di tion s we re
re qu ired tomake fasti n g obligatory, an d Show how
w o n d erfu lly adapted this regu lati o n is for the re
Moshe im , vol . i . p . 1 3 1 . Moshe im di sti n ctly says that fast i n gcam e e arly to be regarded as the m ost effectu a l m ea n s of repe ll i n gthe force an d d i sco n certi n g the stra tagem s of evi l spi ri ts
,an d of
appeasi n g the an ger of a n offe n ded D e i ty .
” Vol . i . p . 39 8 .
t The w eekly a n d y early fe sti val s of the Chr i stian s,” says Nea n der,origi n ated i n the sam e fu n dam e n tal i dea , the i dea of i m i tati n gChr i st, -th e cru c ifie d a n d ri se n Saviou r .
” A n d agai n , By the
Chri stia n s—w ho w ere fo n d of com pari n g the ir calli n g to a warfare ,a m i li tia Chr i s ti—su ch fas ts
,u n i ted w i th prayers , w ere n am ed
s ta t i on e s , as i f they con sti tu ted the watche s of the soldi e rs of Chr i st(th e m i l i te s Nean der, Chu rch H i s t , vol . i . pp . 40 8 , 40 9 .
3: Kora n , chap . i i . verse 1 83 .
COND I TIONS or FASTI NG . 1 8 1
strai n t of the a n imal prope n si ti e s of Ou r bei n g,
whi ch deve lop themselves u n der speci al circu m
sta n ces . These co n di tio n s ar e , (l s tly) matu ri ty
(2 n dly) healthi n ess of min d ; (3rd ly) healthi n ess of
body ; (4 thly) the con di tio n of bein g at on e’s home,
or what is equ ivale n t to it an d for women ,free dom
from all a i lm e n ts fl< Mark the wi sdom of the ru le ,a s give n i n the Kora n O ye that have believed
, a
fa st is orda in ed to you , that ye m ay practi se
pi e ty a fast of a compu ted n u mber of days . Bu t
he,amo n g you , who shall be a i lin g or on a j ou rn ey
(shall fast) a n equ al n u mbe r of other days ; an d
they that are able to keep i t (a n d do n ot) Shall
make ato n emen t by ma i n ta i n i n g a poor m a n .
Bu t i f ye fast, i t wi ll b e better for you , i f y e com
prehen d God wi lleth that whi ch i s easy for
yo u .
’
T
This ru le of abstin en ce is re stricted to the d ay ; i n
the n ight,i n the i n tervals of prayer an d devotion ,
th e Moslem i s allowed, pe rhaps i n de ed i s bou n d, to
refre sh the system by par taki n g i n moderati o n of
food a n d dr i n k, a n d otherw i se e n joyi n g himself law
fu lly . I n the tru e spiri t of th e Teacher, the leg ists
i n var i ably la id dow n th e ru le that, du ri n g th e fa sts ,absti n en ce of mi n d from all base thou ghts i s a s
i n cu mbe n t a s the absti n en ce of the b ody . ;t
Q u erry, Droi t Mu salm an , vol . i . p . 1 9 7 Jdm ai -Abas i Jftm ai
T erm i z i , chapter o n Fa st i n g .
t Kora n , chap . i i . verse 1 8 1 .
I, The Ki tab-u l-Mu statri f, chap . i . sect . 4 .
1 82 PRACTICAL CHARITY I N ISLAM .
N0 religio n of the world, pri or to I slzi m ,had con
se crat e d charity, the su pport of the widow,the orpha n ,
a n d th e helpless poor—by e n roll in g its prin ciples
amon g the posi tive e n actmen ts of the system .
The Agapae or fea sts of charity, amo n g the early
Christia n s,depe n ded o n the will of in di vidu als their
i n flu e n ce,therefore
,cou ld o n ly be irre gu lar a n d
spasmodi c . It i s a matter of hi story tha t this very
i rregu lari ty led to the su ppression of the “ fea sts of
ch ar ity, or love-fea sts,” o n ly a short time after
their i n trod u ct ion fi l<
By the laws of Islam,every i n divi du al i s bou n d to
co n tribu te a certai n part of his su bstan ce towards
the help a n d a ssista n ce of h i s poore r n eighbou rs .
This portio n is u su ally o n e part i n forty, or 231,per
ce n t o n the valu e of all goods, chatte ls, embleme n ts,o n profits of trade
,me rca n ti le b u si n ess, etc . Bu t
a lms ar e d u e o n ly whe n the property amou n ts to a
c ertain va a n d has bee n i n the possessi o n of a
perso n for o n e whole year n or are a n y d u e from
Nean der , vol . i . p . 4 5 0 , e t seq . ; Mosheim , vol . 11 . p . 5 6 . I don ot m ean to say that th i s was the on ly form i n wh i ch Chri stia n chari tyexpre ssed i tse lf. The su ppor t of th e w i dow ,
the poor a n d orphan wasa s m u ch i n si sted u po n i n Chri stian i ty as i n Islam . Bu t eve n th i sD i vi n e chari ty ta u ght by Je su s rece i ved a n im pre ss of exclu sive n e ssfrom the d i sciples, i n w hose ha n ds h e left h is w ork . Th e w idow ,
i n
order to cla im the be n efits of char i ty,w as requ i red to be threescore
years of ag e , to have bee n th e w i fe of on e m an , to have brou ght u pch i ldre n ,
”&c . Com pare throu ghou t B lu n t ’s H i story of the Chri s
t i a n Chu rch,p . 2 7 , e t seq .
1 For exam ple , n o alm s are d u e from a m an u n les s h e ow n s 20
cam e ls .
1 84 THE I NST I TUTI ON or PILGRIMAGE .
breathed i n to Moham me d’s re ligi o n a fre em a so n ry
a n d brothe rhood of fa i th,i n spi te of sectaria n div i
si o n s . The eye s of the Whole Moslem world fixed
o n that cen tr al spot keep alive i n the bosom of each
some spark of the cele stial fire,which lighted u p
the e arth i n that ce n tu ry of darkness . Here aga i n ,
th e wisdom of the i n spi red Lawg iver shi n es forth i n
th e n ega tive part of the e n actme n ts, i n the co n di
tio n s n ecessary to make the e n a ctmen ts obligatory—(l ) The ripe n ess of i n tellige n ce a n d di sce rn me n t
(2) perfect freedom a n d l ibe rty ; (3) posse ss io n of
th e mea n s of tra n sport a n d su bsi sten ce du ri n g the
j o u rn ey ; (4) possessi o n of me a n s su fficie n t to su p
port the pi lgrim ’s fam i ly du ri n g h i s absen ce ; (5 )the poss ibi li ty a n d pra cti cab i li ty of the voyage .
*
S u ch ar e the i n sti tu ti o n s of Mohammed wi th r e
fere n ce to the practi ca l du tie s of religi o n .
“ Fa i th a n d chari ty, to u se the words of th e
Chri sti an hi stori a n,
“ar e n ot i n compa tible wi th
exter n al ri te s a n d posi tive in sti tu ti on s,whi ch
i n de ed ar e n ecessary i n thi s imperfect state,to
ke ep ali ve a se n se of religio n i n the commo n
A n d a ccord i n gly Mohammed had a t
tache d a few r i tes to h i s teachi n gs i n orde r to give
a m ore tan gible co n cepti o n to the ge n e rality of
man kin d . Jesu s himself had i n sti tu ted two rites
Jam ai -A b fii s i . Q u e rry , D roi t Mu su lm a n , vol . i . Mabsu t .TMoshe im ,
Ecclcsm s tl ca l H i s tory , vol . 1 . p . 124 .
D I ST I NCTIVE PECULI AR I T I ES 1 8 5
Bapti sm a n d the ‘ Holy Probably h ad
h e lived lo n ge r, he wou ld have added more . Bu t
o n e thi n g is certa i n , that had a lo n ger care er b e e n
vou chsafe d to him, he wou ld have placed hi s teach
i n gs on a more"
systema ti c basi s . Thi s fu n dame n tal
de fe ct i n Chri sti an i ty has been , i n fact, the rea l
cau se of the a ssembli n g of Cou n cils a n d Co n vocati o n s
for the establishm e n t of arti cles a n d dogmas, which
s n ap asu n der at every slight te n si o n of Reason a n d
Fre e thou gh t . The work of Jesu s w as left u n
fi n i she d . I t w a s reserve d for an othe r Teacher to
systematize th e laws of morali ty . Thu s Moham
m e d’s te achi n gs are i n n o way oppose d to those of
Je su s ; they are si m ply compleme n tary to them .
Ou r relati on s wi th ou r Cre ator are matters of con
scien ce ; ou r re lati o n s wi th ou r fe llow be i n gs m u st
b e matter s of posi tive ru l es a n d what highe r san c
tio n — to u se a legal expre ssio n — can be attached for
the e n for ceme n t of the relative du ti es of m a n to
m an ,tha n th e sa n cti on of religi o n . Religi o n i s n ot
to b e regarded mere ly as a su bje ct for u n ctu ou s d e
clam at ion s by “ se lect preacher s,” or a s some stran ge
theory for th e pe cu l iar gra tificatio n of dre amy m i n ds .
Religio n ou ght to mean th e ru le of life i ts chi e f
object ou ght to b e th e e levati on of Hu ma n i ty towards
that pe rfe cti o n whi ch i s th e e n d of ou r e x i ste n ce .
The re ligi o n ,there fore
,whi ch place s o n a systemati c
9" Moshe im ,Eccles iastical H istory , vol . i . p . 124 .
186 or MOHAMMED’S TEACHINGS .
ba sis the fu n dame n tal pri n ciple s of morality, regu
lati n g social obligati o n s, an d hu man du tie s, whi ch
brin gs u s n earer a n d n earer by its compatibili ty with
the highest developm e n t of in tellect,to the All
Perfect—tha t religion , we say, has the greatest
claim to ou r con sideratio n a n d respect . It is the
di stin ctive characteristic of Islam that it combin es
within itself the gra n dest a n d the most promi n en t
featu res i n all ethn ic a n d catholic* religio n s, com
patible with the Rea so n a n d moral In tu i tio n of m an .
It is n ot merely a system of positive mora l ru les,
ba sed o n a tru e co n cepti o n ofHu man Progress, b u t it
is also the establi shmen t of certa i n pri n ciples,the
e n forcemen t of certain di sposi ti o n s,the cu ltiva ti on
of a certain temper of mi n d, whi ch the co n sci e n ce
is to apply to the ever-varyi n g exige n cies of time
a n d place . Tea cher of Islam, preached i n a
thou sa n d vari S,u n iversal love a n d brother
hood,a s the emblem of the love born e towards the
Primal Cau se of Al l . How do you thi n k God wi ll
k n ow you whe n you ar e i n His Presen ce—by you r
love of you r chi ldre n , of you r k i n , of you r n e igh
bou rs, of you r fellow cre atu re s ?”j: Do you love
you r Creator, love you r fe llow-bein gs first .” Do
For the u se of the se words , see Clarke , Te n Great Re l igion s,chap . i .
J
rThese are the words of Mi lrn a n (Hi stoq 7 of Chri stian i ty, vol . i .p . 20 6) appli ed to hi s ow n re l igio n .
1 M i shkat , bks . xxi i . - i i i . chaps . 1 5 an d 1 6 .
§ Com p . Kastalan i’
s Com m e n tary on the Sah ih of B u khari,
pt . i . p . 70 .
1 88 THE CHAR I TY or ISLAM .
d ay (fu tu re exi ste n ce) a n d worketh that whi ch
is right an d good,for them shall b e the r eward
with thei r Lord ; there wi ll come n o fe ar on them
n e i ther shall they be
The same se n time n t i s repeated i n similar words
i n the fifth S u ra (chapter of the Koran ) a n d a bu n
d red other pa ssage s,prove tha t Islam does n ot
co n fi n e salvatio n ” to the followers of Mohammed
a lo n e To every o n e have We give n a Law a n d
a W ay A n d if God had plea sed, He wou ld
have made you all (all ma n k i n d) o n e people (people
of on e religi o n ) . Bu t He hath do n e otherw i se,that He m ight try you i n tha t whi ch He ha th
severally give n u n to you , wher efore pre ss forwa rd
i n good works . Un to God shall y e retu r n , a n d
He w ill te ll you tha t co n cern i n g whi ch ye d i s
agree .
”-
f
The re ar e certai n ages,says the historia n of
E u ropea n Rati o n ali sm,i n whi ch the se n se of
virtu e has been the mai n spri n g of re ligio n there
are other ages,i n whi ch thi s positi o n i s occu pi ed
by th e se n se of s i n .
”1 I n the o n e ca se, a co n
sc iou s n e s s of hu ma n dign i ty fu rn i shes th e m o
tive powe r to ou r a cti o n s ; i n th e other, a sen se
of the u tter si n fu l n ess of m an . The phi losophi es
Kora n ,chap . 11 . 5 9 .
TKora n , chap . v . 5 6 ; com p . a lso xx ix . 45 ; xxxi i . 23, 24 ; xxx ix .
4 7 ; x 1. 1 3 , &c . Sec n ote 11 .
1: Lecky . H i st . 0 1 Ratio n alism I n E u rope,vol . i . p . 388 .
THE SENSE or SI N . 189
of a n ci e n t Gree ce a n d Rome embalm ed the firs t
p ri n ciple Chri stia n i ty the latte r .
Of all systems of re ligi o n,Islam alon e combi n e s
both of the se two co n cepti o n s . The beli e f tha t
m an wi ll be ju dge d by hi s works sole ly,throws the
Moslem on th e practi ce of self-de n i al a n d u n ive rsal
chari ty ; the beli e f i n Divin e Provide n ce,i n the
mercy, love, a n d om n ipote n ce of God le ads him to
se lf-hu mi liatio n be fore the Sove reig n of the u n i
ve rse,a n d to th e pra ct ice of those heroi c vir tu es
which have give n ri se to the charge that the v i r
tu e s of Islam ar e pati e n ce,re sign ati o n ,
a n d firm n ess i n the trials of life . It leads him (to
u s e on ce more Le cky’s phraseology), to i n terrogate
h i s co n scie n ce wi th n ervou s an xi ety, to stu dy with
scr u pu lou s care the motives that a ctu ate hi m , to
di stru st his ow n str e n gth, a n d to rely u pon the a ssi st
a n ce of an a lmighty a n d all-lovin g Power, i n the
con fli ct be twee n Good a n d Evi l .
Thu s Islam combi n es all the highest pr i n ciples
whi ch have actu ated hu ma n i ty from the time i t saw
light on e ar th .
I n som e re ligion s,the precepts which i n cu lcated
du ti e s have be e n so u tter ly devoid of practi cab i lity,so comple te ly w a n t i n g i n a k n ow ledge of hu m a n
n atu re a n d par taki n g so mu ch of th e dre am y vagu e
Clarke, T e n Great Rel ig io n s, p . 484 .
T Com p . the first apologu e i n the“ Ak7zlc2/c
’
(Eth ics) of Hu ssa i nlV-fl i z
,o n I khld s .
1 90 A LOFTY IDEALISM I N ISLAM
ness of e n thu siasts, as to become i n the real ba ttle s
of life Simply u seless The pra ctical character of
a religio n,i ts abidin g i n flu en ce i n the commo n rela
tion s of ma n kin d— i n the affa irs of every-d ay life,its power on the masses— ar e the tru e cri te ria for
j u dgi n g of i ts u n iversality . We do n ot look to ex
c ept io n al min ds to recogn ize the n atu re of a r elig ion .
W e search amo n g the ma sses to u n dersta n d its tru e
character . Does it exer cise deep power over them
does i t elevate them ? does it regu late their con
cepti on of rights a n d du ties ? does it, if carried to
the Sou th Sea Islan der, or preached to the Cafl'
ra
rian s, improve or d egrade them —are the qu estio n s
we n atu rally as k ou rselves . I n Islam is joi n ed a
lofty Ideali sm with the most ration a li sti c pra cti ca
li ty . It did n ot ig n ore hu man n atu re ; i t n ever
n tan g le d itself i n the tortu ou s pathw ays which lie
ou tside the domain s of the ac tu al a n d the real . Its
object, like that of other systems, w as the elevati o n
of hu ma n ity towards the absolu te Ideal of Perfe c
t io n ; b u t i t a ttain ed, or t ries to attai n , this obj e ct
by gra spi n g the tru th tha t the n atu re of m a n i s, i n
thi s existe n ce, imperfe ct . If i t d i d n ot say, If thy“ brother smi te thee on o n e che ek
,tu rn thou the
other also to him if i t a llowed the pu n ishme n t
of the wa n to n wro n gdoe r to the exte n t of the i n j u ry
he had don eT— i t also ta u ght i n fervi d words a n d
Com p . M . Ern e st Have t’
s rem arks i n h i s va lu able an d le arn edwork ,
Le Chri sti a n i sm e e t ses Origi n e s , Pref . p . xxxix .
TKora n ,chap . xxi i . 40 , 4 1 . Thon i sse n
’
s rem ark that Moham
1 92 THE KORANIC SUMMARY or I SLAM .
a n d for those who forgive m e n I forgive you .
The slave, however, fi n i shed the verse , addi n g, for
God love th the b e n efi ce n t I give you you r
liberty a n d fou r hu n dred pieces of Si lver, repli ed
The au thor of the Kasshfif thu s su ms u p the
essen ce of the Islami c teachi n gs Seek aga in h im
who drive s you away give to him who takes away
from v ou ; pardo n h im who i n j u res you ;1 for God
loveth that you shou ld ca st i n to th e depth of you r
sou ls,th e roots of Hi s Perfecti o n s .”1
We shall co n clu de thi s chapter with the follow
i n g passage from the Koran
The se rva n ts of the Mercifu l are they tha t walk
u po n the earth softly a n d whe n the ig n ora n t
spe ak u n to them,they reply, Peace ! They that
spen d the n ight worshippi n g thei r Lord,pr ostrate
a n d sta n di n g
A n d that say, -Oh, ou r Lord tu r n away from
u s the torme n t of Hell ; ver ily, from the torme n t
the re of, the re i s n o re le a se . S u re ly it is a n evi l
abode a n d resti n g-place ! Those that when they
Th i s a n ecdote has bee n told by Sale i n a n ote to the 3rd chapterof h i s tran slati o n of the Koran
,a n d al so by G ibbo n . Bu t both have
by m i stake appli ed th e ep i sode to Hassa n,th e brother of Hu ssa i n .
See Tafsi r-Hu ssa i n i , M i ra t Ed . p . 1 0 9 . See n ote III . to thi s chapter .
T Com p . thi s w i th th e precept of Moham m ed reported by AbfiDarda
,M i shk é t , book i v . chap . i . pt . 2
, an d the Whole chapter on
Forgive n e ss (chapte r 36 ) i n th e M u sta tri f.
I Zam akhshri ( the Kasshfi f) Egyp. Ed . pt . i . p . 280 .
THE KCRANI C SUMMARY or I SLAM . 1 98
spen d are n either profu se n or n iggardly, b u t take
a middle cou rse —Those that i n voke n ot wi th God
an y other God a n d slay n ot a sou l that God hath
forbidde n , otherwi se tha n by right ; a n d commi t n ot
forn ication ; (for he who doeth that i s i n volved i n
si n,—Hi s tormen t shall be dou bled i n the d ay of
ju dgmen t : therein ign omi n iou slyShall he remain for
ever,—exceptin g him that Shall repe n t an d beli eve
an d perform righteou s works ; a s for them, God
shall cha n ge their evi l thi n gs i n to good ; a n d God
i s forgivi n g an d mercifu l . An d whoever r e
pe n te th a n d doeth good works, verily, he tu rn e th
u n to God wi th a tru e repen ta n ce . ) They who
bear n ot witn ess to that whi ch i s false ; a n d
whe n they pass by va i n sport,they pass i t by
wi th dign ity — they who, whe n admo n ished by the
revelati o n s of the Lord, thereu po n fall n ot down
as i f deaf a n d bli n d ; who say,‘ Oh, ou r Lord ,
gra n t u s of ou r wives a n d chi ldren su ch a s shall
be a comfort u n to u s, a n d make u s examples u n to
the pi ou s —These shall be rewarded wi th lofty
ma n sion s [i n paradise] , for that they persevered ;a n d they shall be a ccosted therein with welcom e
an d salu tatio n z—For ever therein —a fair Abode
a n d Restin g-place
Koran , chap . xxv . ver. 64—76.
0
1 94 NOTES .
NOTE I . TO CHAPTER XII .
It m u s t be rem em bered tha t m a n y of the su m ptu ary regu lation s ,precepts
,a n d prohi bi tio n s of Moham m ed were calle d forth by the
tem porary ci rcu m stan ces of the tim e s a n d people . W i th the d i sappe ara n ce of su ch ci rcu m stan ce s
,the n eed for those law s have also
d i sappeared . The people therefore , w he ther Moslem or n ot, who
su ppose that every Islam ic precept i s n ece ssari ly i m m u table , doi n j u stice to h i story a n d the deve lopm e n t of the i n te lle ct of m an .
For the con s ideratio n of su ch m e n I wou ld re com m e n d the follow i n gwords of on e of ou r greate st au thors It i s on ly by an a tte n ti veexam i n atio n a n d we ll -su sta i n e d appli catio n tha t we can di scoverthe tru th
, an d gu ard ou r se lve s agai n st errors an d m i stake s . I n fact ,i f we were m ere ly to sati sfy ou rse lve s by reprodu ci n g the recordstra n sm i tte d by tradi ti o n w i thou t co n su lti n g the ru le s fu rn i shed byexpe ri e n ce
, the fu n dam e n tal pri n ci ple s of the art of gove rn m e n t,the n a tu re e ve n of the parti cu lar civ i l i sation or the c ircu m stan ce swhich characterize the hu m a n soci e ty ; if we are n ot to ju dge ofthe wan ts which occu rred i n d i sta n t tim e s by those whi ch are
occu rri n g u n der ou r eye s , if we are n ot to com pare the past w i ththe pre se n t
,w e can hardly e scape from falli n g i n to e rrors an d
losi n g the way ofThe su m ptu ary prohibi tio n s of Moham m ed m ay be d i vided i n to
two classe s, qu a li ta ti ve an d qu a n ti tati ve, as m etaphysi cian s wou ldsay . The prohi bi tion of exce ss i n eati n g a n d dri n ki n g an d others ofthe like im port be lo n g to the latter class . They were called forth i npart by the pecu li ar sem i-barbaro u s ep icu rean i sm whi ch was com i n gi n to fashion am on g the Arabs from the ir i n tercou rse wi th the d em orali sed Syrian s an d Pe rs ia n s , a n d i n part by ci rcu m stan ce s ofwhich on ly glim pse s are afforded u s i n the Koran . The absolu teprohibi tio n of swi n e’ s fle sh, whi ch m ay be cla ssed u n der the head of
qu ali tati ve prohibi ti on s , arose, as i s eviden t, from hygi e n i c reason sa n d thi s proh ibi ti on m u st rem a i n u n chan ged , as lon g as the n a tu reof the an i m a l a n d the d i sease s e n ge n dered by the eati n g of i ts fle shrem ai n as at pre se n t . The prohib i tion aga i n st dan ci n g i s a lso qu al itati y e i n i ts character, as i t was directe d agai n st the orgiasti c da n ce sw i th which the hea the n A rabs u sed to ce lebra te the Syro—Phoen icia nworship of the ir A shtaro th, the ir Moloch, a n d the ir Baal .
Prolégom en e s d’
I b n Khaldou n , tradu i ts par M . de Slan e ,prem iere partie , p . 13.
1 96 NOTES .
on e spe ctacle , wh ich , i n de ep i n tere st, ca n com pare w i th the awfu
sce n e s e n acted on the plai n s Of Kerbe la , n or doe s h i story re cord a.person pu rer
,m ore e leva ted , or m ore m ag n a n im ou s than Ali a n d h i s
n oble I f a sacrifi ce i s ever n eeded “ to bri n g m an close to
the De i ty ,
”1
' the n the se lf-sacrifi ce of Hu ssai n has con su m m ated thespiri tu a li sa tion Of the re ligio n of Moham m ed .
Com p . Ge le n er, De s Efi‘
ets d e la Religion de Moham m ed , p . 1 1 1
TDolli n ger, The Ge n ti le a n d the Jew, vol. i i . p . 366 .
CHAPTER XIII .
THE gra n d desti n y whi ch the religion Of Mo-r
hammed has fu lfilled, a n d has yet to fu lfil i n the
world, calls for a n in qu iry i n to the cau ses Of its pro
gress a n d su ccess i n the me liora ti on Of society .
It h as be e n fre qu en tly said by the e n emi es Of the
Prophe t tha t his religio n was spre ad by th e sword,w as u phe ld by the sword
,i f n ot produ ced by the
sword .
>I< A carefu l exami n ati o n Of the ci rcu mstan ces
a n d facts con n ected wi th th e ri se Of Islam,wi ll, we
tru st, comple tely refu te all these calu m n i es .
From th e momen t Mohammed appe ared i n Me
di n a hi s de sti n y became i n te rtw in e d with that Of his
pe ople , a n d Of those who had i n vited a n d welcomed
h im i n to their m idst . Hi s destru ctio n wou ld have
le d to the a n n ihi lat ion of the en tire body Of the
Me d i n i te s a n d Of the Refu gees .” The Korei sh
were be n t o n ve n gea n ce, a n d on the pu n i shm e n t of
those whom they regarded as apostates from the
fa i th Of the ir fathe rs . The exi le Of Mohammed a n d
h i s followe rs w as n ot e n ou gh for the Idolaters . The
Com p . Mu ir a n d We i l on thi s po i n t . The la tter u se s the
harde st expressio n s Of the two, a n d claim s w i thal to be called ah i storian .
1 98 AN EXAMINATION OF THE OPINION
e n tire destru ctio n of Islam w as their chie f Obje ct,a n d in simple defe n ce, therefore, w as it comman ded
to the Moslems Defe n d you rself agai n st you r
e n emi es I n the war Of en terprise for the Reli
gion bu t attack them n ot first God hateth the
It is u su al, with the Christian biographers Of
the Prophet,to a sperse his character becau se he
d efen ded himself a n d his foll owers aga in st the
attacks Of his enem ies .
We have n o right to a ssu me that becau se some Of
the great Teachers,who have from time to time ap
peared on earth, have su ccu mbed u n der the force of
Opposin g circu mstan ces, an d become martyrs that
becau se others have created i n,th eir brai n s a n u n
realized Utopi af—that becau se dreamers have existed
a n d en thu sia sts have su ffered—Mohammed w as
bou n d to follow thei r example, a n d leave the world
before he had fu lfilled his missio n . Nor was he
obliged to sacrifice himself a n d the enti re com m u
n i ty over which he w as called to preside,for the
sake Of carryin g ou t what, in the presen t time,wou ld be called an Idea .
From the mome n t Of his departu re for Medi n a,
the Idolaters determi n ed u pon hi s destru cti on a n d
that Of his followers . Self-defe n ce became a qu es
ti on Of self-preservatio n . E i ther the Moslems mu st
su bmit to be massacre d, or fight when they we re
Koran , chap . 11 . ver . 1 86 .
20 0 COMPARISON BETWEEN THE
establishin g the divin i ty of the n oble Prophet Of
Nazareth . We shall fu rn i sh rea son s here to show
that su ch compariso n s ar e u n fai r, based as they are
on what is n ot o n ly false to hi stor b u t false to
hu man n atu re .
The circu mstances atten din g the lives Of Jesu s
a n d Mohammed were u tterly differe n t . Du ri n g h i s
whole lifetime the i n flu e n ce of Jesu s rem ai n ed co n
fin ed to a . small body Of foll owers,taken chi efly
from the lower an d u n edu cated ranks . He fell a
v i ctim >l< to the passion s he had evoked by hi s scath
i n g den u n ciati o n s Of the li feles s sacerdotali sm of
the priestly classes—to the u n dyi n g hatred Of a
rele n tless ra ce— before h i s followers had become
e i ther n u merou s or i n flu e n ti al en ou gh to requ i re prac
ti cal ru les for their gu idan ce, Or before they cou ld
form a n orga n i sati o n , ei ther for pu rposes Of spiri tu al
teachin g , or as a safegu ard aga i n st the perse cu ti o n s
Of the domin an t creed . Drawn from a powerfu l
commu n i ty, with settle d laws, the Observa n ce Of
whi ch w as gu ara n teed by the su zera in power,th e
followers Of Jesu s had n o Opportu n i ty Of formi n g a n
orga n isati o n , n or had the Great Teacher a n y n eed to
I w ri te accord i n g to th e ge n erally rece ived Op i n i on am o n gWe stern scholars , That Moham m ed , i n accordan ce w i th the tradition s cu rre n t i n hi s tim e , be li eved tha t Je s u s m iracu lou sly d i sap
pe ared , there i s n o dou bt. I n sp i te of th i s SO-called apocryphalG n osti c tradi tion be i n g opposed to the ge n eral body Of Chri stiantrad i ti on s, there i s as m u ch hi stori c probab i li ty on on e side as theother . See a n te, p . 23-24 .
EARLY MOSLEMS AND THE CHRISTIANS . 20 1
frame ru les Of practi ca l positive morality . The
wa n t w as felt when the commu n ity became moreexte n sive , a n d the ge n i u s Of a scholar
,well-versed
i n the Ne O-plato n ic lore, de stroyed the i n dividu ali ty
a n d simpli ci ty Of the teachi n gs of the Ma ster .
Mohammed, like Jesu s, w as followed from the
commen cemen t Of hi s career as pr eacher a n d reformer,
by the hostili ty a n d opposi ti o n Of h i s people . Hi s
followe rs a lso, i n the begi n n i n g, were few a n d i n sig
n ifi ca n t . He also w as preceded by m e n who had
shaken Off th e bon dage Of i dolatry, a n d li sten ed to
th e sprin gs Of li fe withi n . He,too
,preached gen
tle n e ss, chari ty a n d love .
Bu t Mohammed appe are d amo n g a n ati on steeped
i n barbarou s u sage s, who looked u po n war a s the
Obj e ct Of life— a n atio n far r emoved from the m a
t e r iali s i n g degradi n g i n flu en ces Of the Greeks an d
th e Roma n s, yet likewise far from their hu ma n i si n g
i n flu e n ces . At first, hi s de n u n ciation s evoked scorn ,
a n d the n ven gefu l passi o n s . Hi s follower s,howeve r
,
i n crease d i n n u m be r an d stren gth u n til, at la st, the
i n vi tati on of the Me d i n i t e s crown ed his glori ou s work
w i th su ccess . From the momen t he accepted the
a sylu m SO n obly proffe red,from the momen t he w as
called u pon to become their chi ef magi strate a s we ll
a s the ir spiri tu al te acher,h i s fate became i n volved i n
the i rs from that time , the hosti li ti es Of th e Idolate rs
a n d thei r alli e s re qu i re d a n u n sle ep i n g vigi lan ce o n
the part Of the Moslems . A s i n gle ci ty had to make
202 INTERNATIONAL OBLIGATIONS UNKNOWN
head again st the combin ed atta cks Of the m u lt i t u d i n
O u s tribes Of Arabia . Un der these circu msta n ces,
e n ergetic measu res were Often necessary to su sta in
the exi sten ce Of the Moslem commu n ity . When
persu asio n failed, pressu re w as requ ired .
The same in stin ct Of self-preservatio n which Spoke
SO warmly within the bosom Of the great Proph et of
Na z are thfl< when he advised his d isciples to look to
the i n stru men ts Of defen ce, cau sed the persecu ted
Moslems to take u p arms when a ttacked by their
relen tless enemies .
Gradu ally, by gentle kin dness a n d energy, all the
di sjoin ted fragme n ts Of the Arabian tribes were
brou ght together,to the worship Of the tru e God ;
a n d then peace settled u po n the lan d . Born amo n g
a people,the most fiery Of the earth, then a s n ow
vehemen t an d impu lsive by n atu re, a n d possessed Of
pa ssion s as bu rn in g a s the s u n Of their desert, MO
hammed impressed on them habits Of self-con trol a n d
self-den ial,su ch a s have n ever before been revealed
i n the pages Of history .
At the time Of Mohammed’ s advent, in tern atio n al
Obliga tion s were u n k n ow n . Whe n n ation s or tribes
made war u po n each othe r, the resu lt u su ally w as th e
massacre of the able-bodied, the slavery Of the i n n o
cen t, an d plu n der Of the hou sehold pe n ate s s iThe Roman s, who took thirteen ce n tu ries to evolve
Lu ke xxi i . 36 .
t Thi s i s a historical fact , too we ll kn ow n to requ ire corroboratio n .
20 4 INTERNATIONAL MORALITY
a n d v i ce versé . Religi on a n d morality,two con
vertible terms,are kept apart from the domai n of
law . Religion,which claims to regu l ate the tie of
i n dividu al m e n,ign ores the reciprocal relati o n s of
the vari ou s aggregates of hu man ity . Religion is
thu s redu ced in to mere sen timen talism,an Object
of gu shin g effu sio n , or mu tu al lau datio n at d is
cu s s ion societi es, a lbei t sometimes risin g to the
Of phi losophi cal morality .
basis Of i n ter n ati on al Obligatio n s, a s has
been ably Observed, co n sists i n the recog n i ti on of
n ati on s as in dividu als, a n d Of the fact that the re is
not o n e sta n dard for ‘ i n d iv i d u als a n d a n other for
n a ti o n s ; for a s in dividu als com pose a n ati o n,so
n ati o n s compose hu man ity ; a n d the r ights of n ati o n s,a n d the i r Obligati o n s to e ach other i n n owise differ
from those exi sti n g be twe e n
Tru e it i s that th e ri se of the Lati n Chu rch i nthe We st, a n d the n ecessary au gmen tati o n of thepower of th e b i shops of Rome
,in trodu ced i n the
Lati n Christi a n world a certai n degree of i n ter
nati o n al respo n sib i li ty . Bu t this w as absolu tely
con fi n ed to the adhe re n ts Of the Chu rch of Rome,or
was occasio n ally exte n de d as a favou r to Gre ek
Christian i ty . The rest of the world w as u n con di
t i on ally exclu de d from the be n efits of su ch re spo n sib i li ty .
“ The n ame Of Religi o n served a s the plea
David Urqu hart’ s Essay on the Effects of the Co n tem pt Of I ntern at ion al Law
,repri n ted from “ The East a n d We st
,
”Feb . 1 86 7 .
A BRANCH OF REL I GION . 20 5
a n d ju st ificati on Of aggre ssi o n u pon we aker n a
ti o n s 5 it led to thei r spoli ati on a n d en slaveme n t .”
Every act of vi olati o n w as sa n ctifie d by the Chu rch,
a n d i n case of extreme i n iqu i ty, absolu ti on pave d
the crimi n al’ 8 w ay to heave n . From the first
slau ghters Of Charle m agn e, wi th the fu ll s a n cti o n of
the Chu rch, to the massacre a n d e n slavemen t of the
u n ofi'
e n d i n g races of America , there is an u n broken
seri es Of the i n fr i n gemen t Of i n tern atio n al
a n d the claims of hu man i ty . Thi s u tter di sregard
of the first prin ciples of charity led also to the per
se cu t ion of those followers of Jesu s who ven tu red to
thin k diffe ren tly from the Chu rch . 1'
The rise of Protestan ti sm made n o differen ce .
The wars a n d mu tu al persecu ti on s of the several
religi ou s facti o n s, form a history i n themselves;
Persecu tio n ,
” says Hallam,
“ i s the deadly origin al
s i n of the Reformed Chu rches, that whi ch cools
every hon est man ’ s zeal for thei r cau se, i n propor
ti o n a s h is readi n g becomes mo re expa n sive .
’
i
Com p . Lecky’
s exhau sti ve chapter on persecu tion by the
Chu rch . H ist . of Ration ali sm i n Eu rope .
T Com p . Mi lm an,Lati n Chri stian i ty, vol . i . p . 35 2 ; an d Lecky
chap . on Perse cu tio n .
j: Hallam’s Con st . H i st . of E n glan d , vol . i . chap . i i . p . 62 . Whe n
Calvi n b u rn t Serve tu s for h i s Op i n ion s regardi n g th e Tri n i ty, h i sact w as applau ded , says Lecky, by all section s of Protestan ts .M elan cthon , Bu lli n ger , an d Fare] wrote to express the i r warm
approbation of the crim e . Beza defe n ded i t i n a n e laborate treati se .
Lecky , Hi st . of Ration ali sm ,vol . i i . p . 4 9 . A stu dy Of the pe n al
law s of E n glan d as aga i n st the Cathol i cs , D i sse n ters, a n d Non
con form ists, i s e n ou gh to shock a n y ca n d id m i n d .
20 6 TOLERANT SPIRIT OF ISLAM .
Bu t, however mu ch the variou s n ew -born Chu rches
di sagreed amo n g themselves, or from the Chu rch of
Rome, regardi n g doctrin al a n d theological poin ts,they were in perfect accord with each other, i n de
n yi n g all commu n ity of in terests,rights
,a n d du ties
to n ation s ou tside the pale Of Chri ste n dom fi l<
The spirit of Islam, o n the contrary, is e n tirely
opposed to isolatio n a n d exclu siven ess . I n a com
parat ively ru de ag e , when the world was half-im
m e rsed i n dark n ess, moral a n d social, Mohammed
preached those pri n ciples of equ ality which are on ly
half-realised i n other creeds a n d promu lgated laws,which for their expa n siven ess a n d n obility of con
ception , su rpa ss everythin g o n record . Islam,
”
says the able writer to whom we have referred above,Offered its religi o n b u t n ever e n forced i t a n d the
acceptan ce Of that religion con ferred co-equ al
rights with the con qu erin g body, a n d ema n cipated
the van qu i she d states from the co n di tio n s whi ch
every co n qu eror, sin ce the world exi sted, u p to the
pe riod of Mohammed, had i n variably imposed .
”
By the laws of Islam, liberty of con scien ce an d
freedom of worship were allowed a n d gu ara n teed to
the followers of every other creed u n der Moslem
domin ion . The passage I n the Koran,
“ Let there
b e n o forci n g i n Religion ,”-
ris the gran dest testi
Grotiu s, the fou n der perhaps of i n tern atio n al law i n Eu rope,
form ally excepted the Moham m eda n s from all com m u n i ty of rightsw i th the Eu ropean n ation s .TChap . i i . v . 25 7 (a Medi n a su ra) .
20 8 AN EXAMINATION OF THE WARS
prayers,an d their mon asteries . The pledge of
God a n d of Hi s Prophe t was given that n o B i shop
shou ld be removed from h i s b i shoprick, n or a n y
mo n k from hi s mo n astery, n or a n y pri est from hi s
priesthood ; that their au thor i ty a n d rights shou ld
n ot be altered, n or a n ythi n g whatever which was
cu stomary amon gst them ; so lon g a s they con
d u cted them selves peaceably an d u prightly,they
shall n ot be bu rden ed with oppressio n , neither
shall they oppress .”
We mu st n ow go back to ou r examin atio n Of the
wars of the Prophet . We have see n that the vari
ou s con fli cts of the Moslems u n der Mohammed wi th
the su rrou n di n g tribes were occasio n ed by the ag
g re ss ive a n d u n rele n ti n g hosti lity of the Idolaters,a n d were n ecessary for self-defen ce .
The battle of Muta a n d th e campaign of Tabuk,
the earli est demo n stration s again st a foreign state,
arose ou t of the a ssassin atio n of a n e n voy by th e
Greeks . The prin ciple whi ch j u stified the i n va si o n
of a cou n try by a Chri sti a n Power,becau se an i g n o
ra n t chi ef had detai n ed some i n solen t ag e n t s,T
wou ld su rely j u stify the Moslems pu n ishi n g the
fai thless Greeks for a n i n iqu itou s deed,abhorred by
all lovers Of j u stice . Probably we shou ld n ot have
Mu ir, vol . 11 . p . 299, (after the Katib-u l-Wacki d i ). As Mu i r
ackn owledge s th i s docu m e n t to be ge n u i n e , I am e n ti tle d to u se i t assu ch, n otw i thstan di n g the slight credi t I attach to Wfiki d i or the
Katib i n ge n eral .T I allu de to the Abyssi n i an War .
OF THE PROPHET AND THE EARLY MOSLEMS . 209
he ard of the promu lgati on of Islam by the sword,
had the Moslems n ot pu nished the Eastern Chri s
tia n s for thi s mu rd er .
The battle of Muta w as i n deci sive ; a n d the cam
pai g n of Tabfi k , which w as en tire ly defe n sive i n i ts
n atu re, (bein g u n dertake n to repu ls e the gatheri n g
of the forces of Heracli u s) left thi s i n te rn atio n al
crime u n pu n ished du ri n g the lifetime of the Pro
phet b u t his s u ccessors did not forget it, a n d a
heavy pen alty w as exacted
The va st exten t of the Greek Empire brou ght the
Moslems i n to a state of belligeren cy or warfare with
the greatest portion of Chr i sten dom . Besides, the
a n omalou s position occu pi ed by the govern ors of
the provin ces u n der the wa n i n g su ze rain ty of the
Byzan tin e emperors re n dered it impossible for the
Moslem chiefs to pu t an e n d to thi s co n dition of
affai rs by mea n s of treaty-stipu lati o n s wi th an y o n e
of them . Before o n e cou ld be su bdu ed an d brou ght
to terms, a n othe r com m i tted some act Of hosti lity,a n d compelled the Moslems to pu n i sh h im . He n ce
the career o n ce e n tere d u po n , they were placed i n
j u st warfare wi th the whole of the the n
Urqu hart, Essay Islam as a Pol i ti ca l System . I do n ot m ean
to assert that the Moslem s were n eve r actu ated by the spi ri t of ag
g ression or by cu p idi ty . It wou ld be showi n g extrem e ign ora n ce ofhu m a n n atu re to m ake s u ch a n assertion . It wa s hardly poss ibletha t aft er the u n precede n ted progre ss they had m ade agai n st the ire n em i es an d assai lan ts, an d after becom i n g aware of the weakn ess ofthe su rrou n di n g n ati on s , they shou l d st i ll re tai n the i r m oderat io n ,an d keep wi thi n the bou n ds of the law .
21 0 AN EXAMINATION OF THE WARS
Religion has ofte n fu rn ished to design in g chi ef
tain s,in the Moslem world as in Christen dom, the
pretext for the gratificatio n of their ambition . Bu t
we con fin e ou r selves to th e spir i t of the precepts
whi ch Mohammed bequ eathe d a s the n oblest lega cy
to his follow ers . The spirit of aggressio n n ever
breathed itself in to that code whi ch formally i n cor
porat e d the law of n atio n s with the reli gio n ; a n d
the follow ers of Mohammed i n the plen i tu de of their
power were always ready to say, Cease all hostility
to u s, a n d be ou r allies, an d we shall be faithfu l to
you or pay trib u te , a n d we w i ll secu re a n d prote ct
you i n all you r rights ; or adopt ou r re ligi o n , a n d
you shall e n joy every privilege we ou rse lves pos
sess . ’
The prin cipal directio n s of Mohammed, on which
the Moslem laws of war a re fou n de d, show th e wisdom
a n d hu ma n ity which an imated the Islamic system :
An d fight for the Religion of God again st those
who fight again st you b u t tra n sgress n ot (by at
tacki n g them first) for God loveth n ot the tra n s
g re s sors ; i f they atta ck you , slay them ;b u t if they de sist, le t there be n o hostility except
again st the n u godly .
”
I n tu r n i n g their arms agai n st Persia, the Moslems
were led on by circu mstan ces . The Mu n dhirs, a.
dynasty of semi-Arab kings, who reign ed u n der the
Koran ,
-chap. u . verse 186 com pare verse 2 5 7.
212 AN EXAMI NATI ON'
OF THE WARS
The con qu est of Hira brou ght the Moslems to the
thresh old Of the domi n i o n of Chosroe s . Pe rsia had ,after a lon g per i od of i n te rn eci n e co n fli ct, sign ali sed
by revolti n g m u rders a n d atrociti es,su cce e d ed i n
obta i n i n g an e n ergetic ru ler, i n th e perso n of Yezd
jerd . U n der the directi o n s of thi s sove reign , the
Persia n chiefs brou ght a n imposin g force to bear on
the Moslems . Omar n ow ru le d at Medi n a . More
ambi ti o u s a n d more vigorou s tha n h i s prede ce ssor,he had yet the moderatio n to offer to Y e z dje rd ,throu gh his depu ties, the u s u al terms by whi ch w ar
might be avoi ded . These terms were,profession Of
Islam,whi ch mea n t the reform of those poli tica l
abu se s that had brou ght the Kyan i a n empi re so low ;the re du ction of all those heavy taxes
,perqu i s ites
,
which su cke d ou t th e li fe -blood of th e n ati on
a n d the admi n i strati o n of j u sti ce by the code of Mo
hamm ed,whi ch held all m e n ,
Wi thou t di sti n cti on of
ra n k or office, equ al i n the eye of the law . The
a ltern ative Offe r w as the paymen t of tribu te i n re
tu rn for protection . These terms were di sda i n fu lly
refu sed by Y e z dj erd a n d the days of Kad e s si a a n d
Nehave n d followed . The Ke sra’s power was irre
tr i evably shattered ; h i s n obles an d the chiefs of th e
pri esthood whose i n terest it was to keep u p the reign
of di sorder a n d oppression , were cu t Off, an d he
Save th e te n ths on la n ded property, a n d 2; per ce n t. of everym an
’s m ean s for the poor, the d i stribu tion of which wou ld have bee nleft to h im self a n d hi s offi cers .
OF THE EARLY MOSLEMS . 213
himse lf be cam e a fu gi tive like a n othe r Dar i u s . The
n ati o n at large hailed the Moslems as their de
liv e r ers .*
The gen era l co n versio n of the Persia n s to the
re ligi on of Mohamme d, a n d the a lmost total e x t i n c
t io n of th e Mag ia n worsh ip are ofte n take n a s proofs
of the i n tole ra n t characte r of Islam . Bu t,i n the
bli n dn e ss of b igotry, even scholar s forget the ci rcu m
sta n ce s u n der whi ch th e Moslems e n te re d th e con n try .
Eve ry trace of r e lig i ou s life w as all b u t exti n ct i n th e
pe ople the masses w ere grou n d dow n by the worst
of all e v ils, a dege n erate pr ie sthood a n d a li ce n ti ou s
oligarchy . Th e Maz d ak ian a n d Ma n i ch e a n ou tbr e aks
had loose n ed eve ry rivet i n the social fabric . Ke sra
A n fi shirvan had o n ly postpon e d for a time the ge n e
ral di sru pti o n of soci e ty . The co n se qu en ce w as, that
a s soo n as the Moslems e n te re d the cou n try a s the
pre cu r sors of l aw a n d orde r, a gen e ral co n ve rsio n
took place a n d Persia became for ever attached to
I slam .T
A n imparti al a n alyst of facts will n ow be able to
j u dge for himself how mu ch tru th there is i n the
Ye z djerd , l ike D ari u s, was assassi n ate d by h is ow n people .
Com pare I b n -al-A thi r throu ghou t,a n d Cau ssi n d e Perceva l .
TA s a testim on y to the spi ri t wh ich a n im a ted th e Moslem s, w eshall qu ote th e follow i n g from G ibbon The adm i n i s tra tio n of
Persi a w as regu lated by a n actu al su rvey of th e people , the cattle ,an d th e fru i ts of the e arth ; a n d thi s m o n u m e n t w hi ch a ttests thevigi la n ce of the Caliphs m ight have i n stru cted th e ph ilosophers ofevery ag e .
”(Decl i n e a n d Fa ll of the Rom a n Em pi re , vol . v . p .
See also Su yuti , Tarikh-u l-Kh u lafa, (Hi s tory of the Ca l iphs . )
214 AN EXAMINATION OF THE ASSERTION
followin g remark of Mu ir It was essen tial to th e
perma n en ce of Islam that its aggressive cou rse
shou ld be co n tin u ou sly pu rsu ed, a n d that its claim
to a n u n iversal a ccepta n ce , or, at the least , to‘
a n
u n iversal su premacy shou ld be e n forced at the
po i n t of the Every religion,i n some
stage Of its career, has, from the ten den cies of its
professors, been aggressive . Even Magia n ism a n d
Brahmin ism have been persecu ti n g a n d aggressive .
Su ch also has been the fate of Islam ; b u t that it
ever aims at proselytism by force, or that it has been
more aggressive tha n other religion s mu st be e n tirely
d e n i e d .T
Syed Ahmed Khan in his learn ed work seems to
admit that Mohammedan i sm grasped the sword to
procla im the eter n al tru th— the u n i ty Of the God
head .
” We d en y altogether that Islam ever
gra sped the sword for the pu rpose of proselyti si n g .
Islam seized the sword o n ly i n self-defe n ce, a n d held
it i n self-defe n ce . Islam n ever i n terfe re d wi th the
dogma s of a n y moral fa i th, n ever per secu ted, n ever
e stabli she d an In qu i sitio n . To Chri stia n s,” says
Urqu hart,“a di fferen ce of re ligio n w a s i n de e d a
grou n d for w ar, a n d tha t, n ot me rely i n dark time s
a n d amon gst fa n ati cs . ’ From the m a ssacre s i n
the n ame of religi o n , of the Saxon s, the Fri sia n s a n d
other German i c tribes by Charlemagn e ; from the
Mu ir, Li fe of Mahom e t , vol . i v . p . 25 1 .
T Com pare Ni ebu hr’s rem arks i n his Description de l’Arabi e , p . 2 1 .
216 ISLAM NOT AGGRESSIVE .
pi tched over the battlemen ts ; m e n were roasted
at fires some were ripped u p, to see if they had
swallowed gold ; the Jews were drive n in to the ir
syn agogu e, a n d there bu rn t a massacre of n early
person s took place a n d the Pope’s legate
wa s see n partaki n g i n the triu mph l”*
Islam grasped the sword i n self-defe n ce
Chri sti a n ity grasped it, i n order to stifle freedom Of
thou ght a n d liberty of be li ef. With the con versio n
of Co n stan tin e, Chri stian i ty had become the domin an t
religio n of the wester n w orld . It had then ceforth n o
thi n g to fear from its e n emies b u t from the m omen t
it Obtai n ed the m astery, it developed i ts tru e character
of isolati o n a n d exclu siven ess . Wherever Chri sti a n i ty
prevailed, n o other religion cou ld be followed withou t
molestatio n .
The Moslems, on the other ha n d, requ ired from
others a sim ple gu ara n tee of peace a n d am i ty,tribu te i n re tu rn for protectio n , or perfect equ ali ty
the possessi o n of equ al rights a n d privi leges,on
con di tion of the a ccepta n ce of Islam .
Draper, Hi story of th e I n te llectu al Deve lopm e n t of E u rope,
vol . i i . p. 22 .
CHAPTER XIV .
I N the in fa n cy of man kin d, i n the early stages of
soci ety, whe n th e cohe s ive powe r,whicgh s erv e s i n
a dvan ced p e riods to keep the di ffere n t parts of the
social fabri c together, i s yet u n deve loped,—poly
gamy i s a prin ciple of se lf-preservati o n . Ma n i s
the domi n a n t e lemen t i n the se stag es of th e pro
gress of hu ma n i ty ; woman is a me re su bordi n ate .
He r exi ste n ce depen de d on her attachi n g herse lf to
m a n,a n d her n u merical su perior i ty Origi n ate d the
cu stom which i n ou r adva n ced times is tru ly re
gard ed as a n u n en du rable evil .
Amon g all Easte r n n atio n s of a n tiqu ity, poly
gamy w as a recog n ise d i n sti tu ti o n . Its practi ce by
royalty,whi ch everywhere bore the i n sign ia of
d ivi n i ty,sa n ctified i t s Observa n ce to the people . I n
In di a from the earlie st times polygam y w as recogn i se d a n d practi sed i n both i ts a spects, plu rali ty of
hu sba n ds as we ll as plu rality of wives . *
Am o n g the Pe rsi a n s, Medes, Babylo n i a n s a n d
Assyria n s, polygamy was cu stomary to all classes of
soci e ty, accompa n i ed by a seclu si o n of wome n as
if Com p . Talboys Whee ler, Hi st) of I n dia, vol . i . p . 130 .
2 18 POLYGAMY PRAGTI SED
severe a s amo n g the To the Persi a n s,
religion offered a premiu m on the plu rali ty of
w ives -
T
Am o n g the Se -Phoen i cian race s, whom the
Israe lites di splace d, co n qu ere d or destroyed, poly
gamy w a s degraded i n to b e st iali ty gtAmon g the Thracia n s, Lydia n s a n d the Pe las
gian races settled i n variou s parts of Eu rope a n d
Western Asia, the cu stom of plu rali ty of marri ages
preva i led to an i n ord in ate exten t, a n d dwarfs all
comparison with the pra ctice preva i lin g elsewhere . §Amon g the Jews, the practice was n ot o n ly ap
proved of, b u t blessed by Jehovah .
Polygamy w as permi tted amon g the a n cie n t
Greeks, as i n the case of the detachme n t of you n g
m e n from the army,men ti o n ed by Plu tarch .
Amon g the Athen i a n s, the wife was a me re chattel,
marke table a n d tra n sferable to others, a n d a su bj e ct
of te stamen tary di sposition . She was a n evi l i n
d ispe n sable for th e order i n g of th e hou sehold a n d
procre ati on of chi ldre n . The Athe n i a n might have
a n y n u mber of w ives, o n ly diffe ri n g from e ach othe r
i n ra n k a n d statu s . Demosthen e s gloried i n the pos
Raw li n son , Hi st . of the Fi ve A n ci e n t Mon archi e s of the East,vol . i i i . pp . 9 0 , 1 7 1
- 1 77 also vol . i i . p . 1 0 7 Le n orm a n t , An ci e n tH i st . of the East, i n 10 0 0 .
TDolli n ger, The Ge n ti le an d the Jew,p . 40 5 , 40 6 .
TLev i t i cu s xv i i i .En cycloped ic U n iverselle , Art. Mariage ; Dolli n ger, The Gen
ti le a n d the Jew, vol . i i . D . 233 .
220 OPI N I ON OF THE GERMAN REFORMERS .
became a sim ple pra ctice of promiscu ou s con cu bin age .
Co n cu bi n age,recogn i sed by the laws of the state ,
soo n a cqu ired the force of a pri vileged i n stitu tio n .
The freedom of women , the loosen ess of the t i e
whi ch bou n d m e n to them, the frequ en cy with which
wives we re cha n ged or tra n sferred, betoke n i n fact
the preva len ce Of poly gam y only u n der a differe n t
name .
I n the mean time the doctrin es of primitive Chr i s
t ia n i ty , preached on th e shore s of Gali le e, bega n to
irradi ate the whole Roman world . The i n flu e n ce of
the Essen es,whi ch is reflected visibly i n the tea ch
in gs of Jesu s, combi n ed wi th a n earn est a n ti cipati o n
of the ki n gdom of Heave n , had led the Prophet of
Nazareth to deprecia te matrimo n y i n ge n e ral, al
thou gh he n ever i n terdicted or expressly forbade its
pract i ce i n a n y shape .
A n d so it wa s u n derstood by the leaders of
Chr i sten dom a t variou s times— tha t the re is n o i n
t ri n s i c immorali ty or si n fu l n ess i n plu rali ty of wives .
O n e of the greatest fathers of th e Christia n Chu rch
ha s de clared, that polygamy is n ot a crime where
it is a legal i n sti t u tio n of a co u n try ;>l< a n d the
German reformers, eve n a s late a s the sixte e n th
cen tu ry, allowed a n d declared vali d the tak i n g of a
s e con d or eve n a thi rd w ife , con tempora n e ou sly wi th
the fir st, i n defau lt of issu e, or a n y other cau se .T
S t. A u gu sti n e , lib . i i . co n t . Fau st, chap . xlvi i .
T Com p . Hallam , Con sti t. Hi st . of E n glan d, vol . i . p . 62 n ote .
THE CUSTOM OF MONOGAMY IN THE WEST . 221
Some scholars, whilst adm i tti n g tha t there i s n o
intri n si c im morali ty i n a plu rali ty of wive s, an d that
Jes u s d id n ot absolu tely or expre ssly forbid the
cu stom, hold that the pre se n t mo n ogamou s practi ce ,i n o n e se n se ge n eral throu ghou t Eu rope
,arose from
the e n grafti n g of ei the r Ge rma n ic or He lle n i co
Roma n n oti o n s o n Chri st ia n i ty fil< The latter vi ew
is di stin ctly opposed to fact a n d history, a n d d e
serves n o credi t . As regards the German s,th e
proof of the ir mon ogamou s habi ts a n d cu stoms rests
u pon the u n corroborated testimo n y of on e or two
Roma n s, of all m e n the most u n tru stworthy witn esses
to facts whe n it w as to thei r i n terest to su ppre ss
them . Besides, we mu st rememb e r the object wi th
which Taci tu s wr ote h i s Man n ers of the Germa n s . ’
It w as a di sti n ct a ttack u pon th e li ce n ti ou sn ess of
h i s oWn people, a n d by co n tra sti n g the laxi ty
of the Roma n s with the half-imagi n ary vi rtu es
of barbarian s, was i n ten ded to i n trodu ce be tter ide as
in to Rom e . Agai n ,su pposi n g that Tacitu s i s right,
to what cau se shou ld we a scribe the polygamou s
hab its of the higher classes of the Germa n s, eve n u p
to the n i n ete e n th ce n t u ry .T
Wh atever m ay have been the cu stom Of the
Roma n s i n early ti m es,i t is eviden t that i n the
M . Barthelem y St. H i la ire appears to hold the Op i n ion tha tm on ogam y was e n grafted u pon Chri stian i ty from Hellen i c an d
Rom an sou rces .
T Com p . En cyclopedie Un iverse lle , Art . Mari age .
222 MONOGAMY I N THE WEST .
latter days of the Repu bli c a n d the commen cemen t
of the Empi re,polygamy mu st have been recogn i sed
a s an i n stitu tio n,or at least n ot regarded as ill egal .
Its existen ce i s a ssu med , a n d its practice recogn i sed,by the Edi ct which i n terfere d with i ts u n iversality .
How far the Praetoria n Edict su cce ede d i n remedy
i n g the evil, or divertin g the cu rrent of pu bli c
opin ion,appears from the Rescript of the Emperors
Ho n oriu s a n d Arcadiu s towards the e n d of the fou rth
ce n tu ry, a n d the practi ce of Co n stan ti n e a n d h is
s on , both of whom had several wives . The Em peror
Va le n tin ia n II .,by an Edict, a llowed all the su bj e cts
of the empire, if they pleased, to marry several
wives n or does it appear from the eccle sia sti cal
history Of those times that the b i shops a n d the heads
of the Chri stian chu rches made a n y Objection to
thi s law .
>i< Far from it, all the su cceedi n g Emperor s
practised polygamy, a n d the people ge n erally were
not remiss i n followi n g their example . Even the
clergy often had several wives .
Thi s state of the laws co n tin u ed u n til the time of
Ju stin i a n,whe n the con cen trated wisdom a n d e x pe
ri e n ce of thi rteen cen tu r ies of progress a n d develop
men t i n the arts of life (combi n e d with the Semi ti c
i n flu ences not o n ly of the two religio n s, b u t also of
those great ju rists who pre-emi n e n tly belon ged to
that race)—resu lted in their embodimen t i n the cele
Com p . En cyclopedi c Un iverselle, A—rt . Mariage , an d Dave n port,Apology for Mahom et .
224 POLYGAMY AMONG THE PARSIS .
o n ly of the ign ora n ce of those who held i t— i s by
thi s time exploded b u t the opi n ion that he adopted
a n d legalize d the cu stom i s still mai n ta i n ed by the
commo n masses a s well a s by ma n y of the learn ed
i n Chri ste n dom . No belief ca n be more false .
Mohammed fou n d polygamy practi sed n ot o n ly
amon g h i s ow n people, b u t amo n gst the people of
the n eighbou ri n g cou n tries,where i t assu med some
of its most frightfu l a spects . The laws of the Chris
tia n Empire had i n deed tried to corr ect the evi l, b u t
withou t avai l . Polygamy co n tin u ed to flou rish n u
ch e ck ed , an d the wretched wome n , with the e x cepti o n of the first wife selected accordin g to pri or ity of
time, labou red u n der severe disabili ties . Wi thou t
rights,wi thou t a n y of the safegu ards which law threw
arou n d the favou red first on e , they were the slaves
of every caprice a n d whim of their hu sban ds .
The corru ptn ess of morals i n Persia abou t the
time of the Prophet w as fearfu l . There w as n o
recog n i sed law of marriage, or, i f a n y existed, i t
was completely ig n ore d . I n the abse n ce of a n yfixed ru le i n the Zen d-Avesta as to the n u mbe r of
w ives a m an might possess, the Persi a n s in d u lged
i n a mu lti tu de of regu lar matrimo n i al con n ecti o n s,
besides havi n g a n u mber of con cu bi n es ,*
Amon g Mahom m ed’s ow n people
,the Arabs, u n
limited polygamy prevailed, prior to th e promu lga
Dolli n ger, The Gen ti le an d the Jew, vol . i . p . 40 6 .
THE ISLAM I C LAWS . 225
tio n of Islam . A m an might m arry a s ma n y w ive s
a s he cou ld ma i n ta i n,a n d repu diate them at wi ll . A
wi dow wa s co n sidere d a s a sort of i n tegral par t of
the heri tage of her hu sba n d . He n ce the fre qu e n t
u n io n s b e twee n stepso n s a n d mothers-i n -law ,whi ch
,
whe n su bsequ e n tly forb idde n by Islam ,were bran ded
by the n ame of Ntkc’
i h-u l-Makt, shamefu l or odi ou s
Eve n polyan dry w as practi sed by the
half-Jewi sh, half-Sabea n tribe s of Y em e n .T
As the legi slator ofhi s ow n n ati o n — the be n efactor
of the hu man race at larg e , i tw a sMohammed’s mi ssi on
to provide efli ci e n t remedie s for all the se a ccu mu l a ted
evi ls . By limi ti n g the maximu m n u mber of con
tempora n e ou s marr i ages, by givi n g r ights a n d pr ivi
lege s to the wives a s aga i n s t their hu sba n ds ; by
maki n g absolu te equ ity towards all,obligatory on
the m a n ; by gu ardi n g agai n st the i r be i n g throw n
h e lple ss on th e world a t th e wi lfu l capr i ce of a
li ce n ti ou s i n dividu al,Mohammed stru ck at the root
of the evi l .
Bu t i t i s th e n egative par t of the law whi ch show s
th e profou n d depth u n d e rlyi n g i t . The provi so w e
refe r to i s n ot o n ly qu alitative i n i ts characte r, b u t
serves i n fact to n u llify the permi ssive cla u se . Con
stru e d pla i n ly, i t me an s—No m a n shall have more
tha n on e Wife , i f h e ca n n ot deal“ j u stly” a n d e qu ally
Kora n,chap . i v . 27 Cau ssi n d e Perceval, vol . i . p . 35 1 I bn
Khald ft n .
TLe n orm an t, A n c . H i st . of the East, vol . i i . p . 3 1 8 .
Q
226 THE ISLAMIC LAWS
w ith all . * I n order to preve n t perso n s, says
Syed Ahmed,
from ru n n i n g i n to excess—which i s
at all times bad , a n d sometimes da n gerou s— a n d
to re n der i t certain that the person so havi n g r e
cou rse to polygamy was impe lled by a real n ece s
s i ty, ma n y strin gen t restricti on s a n d b i n di n g regu
lat ion s have b e e n establi shed, su ch a s the ob
serva n ce of perfect equ ali ty of right a n d privileges,love a n d affectio n , amo n g all wi ves, e tc . etc .” The
con di tion al clau se added to the permi ssive part bei n g
essen ti ally obligatory i n its n atu re, n o n -compli an ce
wi th its requ isi tes lays the in dividu al ope n to the
charge of con traven i n g the laws of Islam . An d
hence i n every w ay the law itself m ay be co n sidered
as prohibitive of a plu rality of w ive s .T
The fact mu st be bor n e i n m i n d that the exi st
e n ce of polygamy depe n ds on ci rcu msta n ces . Cer
tain times, certain co n di ti on s of soci ety make its
practice absolu tely n eedfu l for the preservati on of
wome n from starva ti o n or u tter d e st i tu t ion . :T Thi s i s
a fa ct a n d we ca n n ot bli n d ou rselves to i t . §Wi th the progres s of thou ght
,with the cha n ge of
con di tion s ever g oin g on i n this world,the n ecessi ty
Koran , chap . iv . v . 3 . TSee n ote I . to thi s chapter .
1: I f reports an d stati sti cs speak tru e, I shou ld say that the grea te stproportion of the frightfu l im m orali ty prevale n t i n the ce n tre s ofci vi li za tion i n th e We st
,ari se s from absolu te de sti tu tion .
Abbé Hu c a n d Lady D u ff Gordon have both rem arked that i ti s i n the ge n erali ty of cases, sheer n ece ssi ty which drives people t opolygam y i n the East .
228 AN EXAM I NAT I ON or
ma n y mi n ds n ot cogn i sa n t of the facts or n ot
ho n e s t e n ou gh to appre c i ate them, see m s to Offer a
fair grou n d of reproach aga i n st Moham med . We
mea n h i s marriages . The Chr i stian assa i la n ts of
Mohammed main tai n tha t i n hi s ow n perso n ,by
frequ en t marriages he a ssu med a privi lege n ot
gra n ted by the laws . A dispassi o n a te exam i n ati o n
of facts,a thorou gh a n a lysi s of m otives from the
sta n dpoi n t of hu m an ity w i ll show u s the extreme
wan t of ca n dou r, fa irn ess a n d s imple char i ty>l< on the
part of these w ri ters .
Wh en Mohammed w as o n ly twe n ty-fi ve years of
ag e , i n the prim e of li fe, a n d i n th e e n j oyme n t of
all his me n tal a n d physi cal powers, he married Kha
dija,mu ch h i s sen i or i n years . For tw e n ty-fi v e
years,h i s li fe w ith her w as a n u n i n terru pted su n
shi n e of fai thfu l n ess a n d happi n ess . Throu gh every
con tu m e lv an d ou trag e heaped o n him by the Idola
ters,throu gh every persecu ti o n ,
Khad ija was his
sole compa n i o n a n d helper . At the time of Kha
d ija’s death
,Mohammed w a s i n the fi fty -fi rst year
of hi s ag e . Hi s e n emi e s ca n n ot de n y , b u t are forced
to admi t , tha t du r i n g th e whole of thi s lo n g pe r i od ,they have n ot a si n gle flaw to fi n d i n h i s mora l cha
racte r . D u r i n g the life time of Khad ija th e Prophe t
W e ca n n ot say Chri stia n ” chari ty, be ca u se w i th the se m e n ,
the chari ty wh i ch Je su s i n c u lcated , m e a n s the heap i n g of v i tu perati on on all the ben efactors of hu m a n i ty u n le s s of the ir Creed .
THE MARRIAGES OF THE PROPHET . 229
marri ed n o othe r wi fe,n otw i thstan di n g that pu bli c
Opi n i o n amo n g h i s p e ople w ou ld have allowed h i m
to do so, had h e chose n .
S everal mo n ths aft e r Khad ija’s de ath
, a n d on h i s
re tu r n helple ss a n d persecu te d from Tayef, he m ar
ried Sa u da, the widow of on e Sakran , who had e m
braced Islam a n d had be en forced to fly i n to Abys
sin i a to e scape the pe rse cu ti o n s of th e Idolate r s .
Sakran had di e d i n exi le , a n d left h i s wife u tterly
de sti tu te,thou gh o n e or two of h e r relati o n s were
livi n g . Eve ry pri n ciple of ge n erosi ty a n d hu ma n i ty
wou ld impel Mohammed to offe r he r h i s han d . Her
hu sba n d had give n hi s li fe i n th e ca u se of the n ew
re ligion h e had left hom e a n d cou n try for the sake
of hi s fa i th ; hi s wife had share d hi s exi le, a n d n ow
had re tu rn ed to Mecca to fi n d herse lf desti t u te . I n
the absen ce of a n y moral ru le or posi tive law to
forbi d h i s a lli a n ce, shall w e say, i n the absen ce of
a n y Home’ to se n d he r to,Mohammed, thou gh
poor a n d stra i ten e d for the very mea n s of da i ly su b
si ste n ce, m arri e d Sau da .
Abdu llah, the son of Othman Abu Ku hafa , k n own
afterw ards i n hi story a s Ab ii -Bakr, the Fa the r of
the Vi rgi n ,
”wa s o n e of th e most d evoted follow e rs
of Moham med . He w as on e of th e e arli e st con
ve r ts to th e fa i th of the Prophe t a n d i n hi s si n cere ,
e ar n e st a n d u n varyi n g attachm en t to Moham med,
h e m ight alm ost be com par e d w ith Ali . Ab fi -Bak r,
as by a n ti cipa t io n w e m ay we ll call h im ,had a l ittle
230 THE MARRIAGES OF THE PROPHET .
dau ghter n amed Aye sha, a n d i t w a s the de s ire of hi s
li fe to cemen t the attachme n t whi ch exi sted betwee n
himself a n d the Prophet,who had led h im ou t from
the dark n ess of scepti ci sm- by givi n g h im his d au gh
ter i n marriage . The child was o n ly seven years of
ag e b u t the ma n n ers of the cou n try recog n i sed
su ch allia n ces . Ayesha w as the o n ly maiden whom
Mohammed ever married .
Some time after his arrival at Medin a ,Mohammed
married Hafsa,the dau ghter of Omar who afterwards
became the secon d Caliph . Hafsa had lost her h u s
ban d i n the battle of Bed r . Like her father,she pos
sessed a fiery temper,which kept at a di stan ce all
i n te n din g su i tors . Omar, a t last, growi n g weary of
se ei n g his d a u ghter remain a widow so lo n g, offe red
h er han d first to Abfi -Bakr a n d then to Othma n . Both
refu se d . Thi s threw Omar i n to a rage so vi olen t a s
to threate n the Moslem com mu n i ty wi th a civi l
broi l . I n this extremi ty, the chie f of the Moslems
appe a sed the e n raged father, by himself marryi n g
the d a u ghte r .
>I<
Hi n d Umm Salma, Umm Habiba,a n d Zayn ab
m i tm - u Z-m asdki n fi three othe r wives of the Pr ophet,had also been w idows whom th e an imosi ty of the
tribe s had ber e ft of their n atu ral protectors, a n d
whom their relatio n s were ei ther u n able or u n wi lli n g
to su pport .
Cau ss i n dc Perceval, vol . i i i . p . 8 9 .
T Mother of the poor ,” so called from her chari ty an d be n evole n ce .
282 THE MARRIAGES OF THE PROPHET .
moved from hi s pu rpose, a n d i n spi te of th e comma n d
of the Prophet,h e divorced Zayn ab . Mohamme d
w a s grieved at the co n du ct of Zai d , more especi ally
a s i t w as h e who had arra n ged the marriage of the se
two u n co n ge n ial spi ri ts .
A short time afte r thi s Zayn ab sen t a message to
Mohammed,sayi n g Za id had repu diated her
,a n d tha t
she looke d for su pport to th e Prophet . Un der these
circu mstan ce s Mohammed marri e d
An other wife of Mohammed w as called Ju w a i r iya .
She w as the dau ghter of Har i th,the chi e f of the tr ibe
of the Ba n i -Mu stalik , a n d wa s taken pri so n er by a
Moslem i n a n expediti o n u n de rtake n to repress their
revolt .T She had m ade a n agreeme n t wi th her captor
to pu rchase he r freedom for a stip u late d s u m . She
p e ti ti one d Mohamm ed for the amou n t, whi ch he i m
m edi ate ly gave her . I n r ecogn i ti o n of thi s ki n d n e ss,
a n d i n gratitu de for her liberty,sh e offered her ha n d
to Mohammed,a n d they were married . As soo n as
Tabari (Zote n b erg’s Tran slatio n ) vol . i i i . p . 5 8 . Th i s m arr iage
created a grea t u proar am o n gst the Idolaters , who, wh i ls t m arryi n gthe i r m o thers a n d m othe rs-i n -law , looked u po n the m ar r i age of th e
d ivorced w i fe of a n adopte d son (as Za i d at on e t im e w as regarde dby Moham m ed) by the adoptive fa ther, a s h ighly cu lpable . To d i sabu se the people of the n oti on that adopti on create s an y su ch t ie a s
rea l con sa n gu i n i ty, som e verse s of chap . x x x n i,w ere de li vered , whi ch
d e stroyed the paga n cu stom of forb idd i n g or m aki n g sacred theperson of a w i fe
,or hu sba n d , or i n te n ded w i fe or hu sba n d , by m e re ly
ca lli n g h er m other,si ster, fa ther or brother,—m u ch le ss by her or
h im be i n g fi l st a lli ed to a n adopted son or dau ghter .
T Se e a n te, p . 1 1 8 .
THE MARR I AGES OF THE PROPHET . 33
th e Moslems heard of thi s allian ce,they said amon gst
them selve s th e Ba n i -Mu stalik a re n ew con n ecti o n sof the Prophe t, a n d w e mu st tre a t them a s su ch .
Each victor, therefore, hasten ed to re lease the cap
t ive s he had made i n the expedi ti o n a n d a hu n dred
fami li e s, thu s regai n i n g thei r liberty, ble ssed the
marri age of Ju wa iriya with Moham m e d fi l<
Safi ya , a Jew e ss had a lso been take n priso n er by aMoslem warri or i n the expedi ti o n aga i n st Khaibar .He r , too, Moham me d ge n e rou sly liberated a n d
eleva te d to the posi ti o n of h i s wife wi th he r free
co n se n t a n d at h e r requ est .
Maim fi n a , whom Mohamm ed marri ed i n Mecca,wa s h i s ki n swoma n a n d w a s already above fifty . He r
marr iage w i th Moham med, be side s provi di n g for a
poor relati o n the me an s of su pport, ga i n ed ove r to
the cau se of Islam two famou s m e n,I b n -Abbas
,
a n d Khalid i b n Walid, the leade r of the Korei sh
cava lry i n the di sastrou s battle of Obod, a n d i n later
time s th e co n qu eror of th e Greeks .
Su ch w a s the n atu re of the marriages of Moham
m e d . Some of them m ay possibly have ari se n from
a de si re for male offspri n g, for he was n ot a god,
a n d m ay have fe lt the n a tu ral wish to leave son s
behi n d hi m . He m ay have wi shed also to escape
from the n i ck-n ame whi ch th e bi ttern e ss of hi s
e n emi es attached to hi m .T Bu t taki n g the facts
lb n -H isham ,p . 729 .
TWi th savag e bittern ess th e e n em i e s of the Prophe t appli ed to
23 t PRACTICE OF VENDETTA
a s they stan d, we see that eve n the se marr iages
ten ded i n their resu lts to u nite th e warri n g tribes,a n d bri n g them i n to some degree of harmo n y .
The pra cti ce of Thei r, (ven detta ) preva i led amo n g
the heathen Arabs blood-feu ds decimate d tr ibe s .
There w as n ot a fami ly wi thou t i ts blood-feu d, i n
whi ch the males were frequ e n tly mu rde red a n d the
females a n d chi ldren redu ced to slavery . Mose s had
fou n d the practi ce ofThei r exi sti n g amo n g h i s people,
(as i t exi sts amo n g all people i n a certa i n stage of
d evelopme n t), b u t faili n g to aboli sh it, had legalised
i t by the i n stitu ti o n of san ctu ari e s . Mohammed, wi th
a de eper co n cepti o n of the remedies to be appli ed,co n n ected vari o u s rival fami lies a n d powerfu l tribes
together a n d to himself by marriage ti es . Towa rds
the close of his mi ssi o n , sta n di n g o n th e Mou n t of
Arafat,he procla ime d that from tha t time all blood
feu ds shou ld cease .
The malevole n ce of u n fair a n d u n can did e n emie s,has di storted the moti ve s whi ch
,u n der the sa n cti o n
of the great patriarchs of a n ci en t times,le d Moham
him the n i ck-n am e of GZ- t ar , on th e death of h i s las t son . Thi sw ord l i terally m ean s on e whose tai l has be e n cu t off.” Am on g thea n ci e n t A rabs, a s am o n g the H i n d u s , a m ale i ssu e was regarded as th econ ti n u atio n of the ble ssi n gs of the gods a n d th e m a n who left n om ale i ssu e behi n d w as looked u po n as pecu l iar ly u n fortu n a te . He n ceth e b i tter word appl i ed to th e Prophe t . Kora n , chap . cvi i i . (see theKasshaf) . He n ce al so the i dolatrou s Arabs u sed to b u ry a li ve the i rfem ale offspri n g
,whi ch Moham m ed de n ou n ced a n d reprehe n ded i n
bu rn i n g term s . Com p . Koran , xv i i . 34 , &c .
2 36 THE PRACTICE OF DIVORCE
primari ly, qu i te i n accorda n ce Wi th the m ora l con
cept io n s of soci eti e s a n d i n d ividu als ; b u t progre ss
of ide as, a n d cha n ge s i n the co n di tio n of a pe ople ,m ay make i t evi l i n i t s te n de n cy, a n d i n proce ss of
time it m ay be made by th e sta te, ille gal . Tha t
idea s ar e progressive i s a tr u ism ; b u t tha t u sage s
a n d ou st-e m s depe n d on the progress of i dea s, a n d
are good or evil a ccordi n g to circu msta n ce s, or a s
they are or are n ot i n a ccorda n ce wi th the con
s ci e n ce the sp ir i t’ —of the time, i s a fact mu ch
ign ored by su pe rfici al thi n kers .
The su bject of divorce has proved a fru itfu l sou rce
of misco n cepti on a n d co n trove r sy .
Amo n g all the n ati o n s of the world , from time i m
memorial,the right of divorce has be e n regarded a s
a n e cessary corollary to th e law of marri age . Bu t
thi s right, wi th few excepti o n s, w as ex clu si ve ly re
s erved for the ben efit of the stro n ger sex . Amo n g
the Jew s, the laws of Moses regu lated the right of
divorce a n d thi s se -calle d right was n ot exe rci sed
on ly o n occasi o n s of i n fide li ty to the marriage b e d
o n the part of the w ife, b u t for a n y rea so n whi ch
made the wife d i sta stefu l to the hu sban d . Women
w ere n ot allowed to dema n d a divorce from thei r
hu sba n ds for a n y reaso n
Amo n g the Roma n s, the legali ty of the pra cti ce of
Ex . x x i . 2 Deu t . x x i . 1 4 xxi v . 1 . Com pare al so Doll i n ge r,
The Ge n ti le a n d the Jew , vol . i i . pp . 339,340 a n d Se lde n
’s Uxor
’
Hebrai a, i n loco .
AMONG THE NAT I ONS OP ANTIQ U I TY . 23 7
divorce w as recogn i sed from th e e arli e st times . The
law s of the Twelve Table s admi tte d divorce . An d i f
the Roma n s, a s i s state d by the ir admirers, d id n ot
take adva n tage of thi s law u n ti l 5 0 0 years after th e
fo u n dati o n of the ir ci ty,i t w as n ot becau se they we r e
more exemplary tha n other n ati o n s b u t beca u se the
hu sba n d posse sse d the powe r of su mmarily pu tti n g
his w ife to death,for acts like poi so n i n g, dri n ki n g
a n d the su bstitu ti o n of a spu ri ou s chi ld. Bu t the
wi fe had n o right to su e for a d ivorce ,>l< a n d if she
solici te d separati o n,he r temeri ty made h e r li able to
pu n ishmen t . Bu t i n the later Repu bli c the frequ en cy
of divorce w a s a t o n ce th e Sign , th e cau se, a n d the
co n sequ e n ce of the rapid depravati o n of morals -
T
W e have se lecte d the tw o most promi n en t n ati o n s
of an ti qu i ty, whose modes of thou ght have acte d
most powerfu l ly on modern ways of thi n ki n g, a n d
m odern li fe a n d ma n n e rs . The laws of the Roma n s,regardi n g
.
divorce,were marked by a progressive
spi rit,ten di n g to the meli ora tio n of the co n di ti o n of
wome n,a n d to their e leva tio n to a n equ ali ty wi th
m e n . Thi s,w as the re su lt of the adva n cem e n t of
hu man ide as,a s mu ch as the re su lt of a n y extra n eou s
ca u se .
The amb igu ou s word whi ch co n ta i n s th e pre cept
Doll i n ger , The Ge n ti le a n d th e Jew , vol . i i . p . 2 5 5 .
TA n observa tion of M i lm an ,Lat i n Chr i sti a n i ty , vol . i . p . 367 . I
give th e pa ssage w i thou t absol u te ly e n dors i n g th e sta tem e n t tha td ivorce i s n ecessari ly evi l, see post .
238 LAW OE DIVORCE As STATED BY JESUS .
of Jesu s i s flexible to a n y i n te rpretatio n that th e
wisdom of th e legi slator ca n dema n d .
’ W e m ay
well su ppose that at the time Jesu s u ttered the
words,
“ Wha t God has join ed let n ot m a n pu t
a su n der, he had n o other idea b u t that of stem mi n g
the torre n t of moral depravity,a n d he did n ot stop to
co n sider the u ltimate te n de n cy of hi s words . The
su bsequ e n t ru le, whi ch makes for n i cati o n-
T(u si n g the
tra n slated word) the o n ly grou n d of va lid di vorce,shows abu n da n tly that Jesu s w a s alive to the emer
g e n cy . Bu t the “ wi sdom ” of su bsequ e n t legislator s
has n ot co n fin ed itself to a bli n d adheren ce to a ru le
la id down probably to su i t the requ iremen ts of a n
embryo n ic commu n i ty a n d delivered verbally . The
ru le m ay be regarde d a s i n cu lcati n g a n oble se n ti
men t, b u t that it shou ld be co n sider ed a s the typical
law of divorce is su ffi ci e n tly co n troverted by the
mu ltitu din ou s provisi o n s of su ccessive ages i n Chri s
tia n cou n tr i e sq‘
,
Mohammed, whilst looki n g u pon divorce i n the
abstract wi th extreme di sapproval, an d regardi n g
its practice a s calcu lated to u n de rmi n e the fou n da
tio n s of soci e ty, at the same t ime made su ffici e n t
a llowa n ce, by a wi se previ sio n,for the em erge n ci e s
whi ch, a s lo n g as hu ma n n atu re co n ti n u es i n its
G ibbo n , Decli n e an d Fal l of the Rom an Em pi re, vol . iv . (2n dEd . ) p . 20 9 .
TMatt . x i x . 9 . See n ote I I . to thi s chapter .
1 Com pare B lackston e ’s Com m en tary on th e Laws of E n glan d ,vol . i i . Bk . 3 .
240 I SLAMIC LAWS ON D I VORCE .
three several di sti n ct a n d separate per i ods wi thi n
whi ch they might e n de avou r to become reco n ci led,a n d ren ew their co n ju gal i n te rcou rse ;’l< b u t shou ld
all attempts to be come reco n ci le d prove u n su ccess
fu l,the n the third peri od, i n whi ch th e fin al separa
ti o n w a s de clared to have arrived, su perven ed .
’
T
M . Sé d illot, tha n whom n o Western wri te r has
an alysed the laws of Mohammed better, has the fol
lowi n g passage ou the su bject “ Divorce w a s
a u thor i se d ,T b u t su bje cted to formali ti es whi ch
allowed (a n d we will add , recomme n ded) a revo
catio n of a hu rri ed or n ot we ll co n sidered resolu
ti o n . Three su ccessive declara ti o n s at a mon th’s
i n terval were n ecessary i n order to make it i rre
The wi fe also w a s en ti tled to dema n d
a separation on the grou n d of i ll-u sage,wan t of
proper main te n a n ce,
a n d vari ou s other cau ses .”Bu t u n less she showed very good an d solid grou n ds
Tradi tion repor ts tha t on ce on e of h i s di sciple s repu dia ted h i sWi fe by declari n g hi s i n te n tio n thri ce , a t on e a n d the sam e tim e ,
w i thou t allow i n g the lega l i n terval be twe e n each declara tio n of h i s
w i sh ; thi s havi n g com e to the ears of the Prophe t,h e was so m oved
as to lead those abou t him to su ppose tha t the offe n di n g di sciple hadcom m i tted som e cr i m e of a m ost he i n ou s character .
T Syed Ahm ed Kha n , Ess . IV . p . 1 4 .
I Kora n , chap . i i . ver . 226 .
Séd illot, H i sto ir e d e s A rabe s,p . 8 5 . See n ote III . to th i s
chapter.
Com p . the H idaya a n d the Mabsfi t i n loco,an d also , Q u erry ,
Droi t Mu su lm an . Sale also gives a very fa ir su m m ary of the Son “
;
n i te view s on th e su bj ect .
LAWS REGARD I NG DIVORCE . 241
for dema n di n g the separati o n ,she lost her settle
men t” or dowry . I n every case,however, whe n the
divorce or igi n a te d wi th th e hu sba n d (except i n ca se s
of open i n fide li ty), he had to give u p to he r every
thi n g he settled u po n h e r at h e r marri age .*
The frequ e n t admo n i ti o n s i n the Kora n agai n st
s eparati on s ; the repeated comme n dati on to heal
qu arrels by priva te reco n ci liati o n show the extreme
sacred n ess of the marriage tie i n the eyes of the
Arab Legislator“ If a woman fear i ll-u sage or avers ion from her
hu sba n d, i t shall n ot be blameable i n th em T if they
agree with mu tu al agreeme n t ; for reco n cil iati o n
(or agreemen t) is best . (Men’s) sou ls are p ro n e
to avari ce b u t if ye act k i n dly a n d deal piou slyJ;veri ly God i s well acqu ai n ted with what y e do .
An d ye wi ll n ot have i t at all i n you r power to
treat you r wives alike wi th equ i ty, eve n thou gh
you fai n wou ld do so ;§ yet yi eld not to you r
Com p . the Islam i c prov i s io n s w i th those of th e m ost perfectRom a n law ,
deve lope d i n the bosom of the Chu rch . Sec M i lm a n ,
Lati n Chri st . vol . i . pp . 368 , 369 .
TThe sp i ri t of the A rabi c expre ssion m ea n s , “ i t w i ll be com
m en dable ,”&c .
T Towards wi ves .Thi s fu rn i she s a n other argu m e n t agai n st those Moham m edan s
who hold that the deve loped law s of Islam allow plu ral i ty of w ive s ;for, equ i ty an d j u sti ce be i n g de clared absol u te ly obl igatory i n a
m an’s con du ct towards h is w i ve s—a n d i t be i n g also declared tha t
su ch equ i ty i s beyo n d hu m an power to observe—we m u st n atu rally
R
242 THE KORAN I C CONCEPTION
i n clin atio n s ever so m u ch,
>l< as to leave her i n su s
pense an d if ye agree,a n d act 'piou sly, then
veri ly God i s forgivi n g a n d mercifu l .”TAn d aga in , i n a preced in g verse, it is de clared
An d if ye fe ar a breach betwee n them (m an a n d
wife ), the n sen d a j u dge chos en from h i s fami ly,a n d a j u dge chosen from her fami ly ; i f they de
sire a reco n ci liati o n , God w ill ca u se them to agree
verily,God is k n owi n g a n d apprised of all .”
Su ch are the laws ofMohammed regardin g divorce .
To u s they seem as complete as they are wise i n
their u ltimate te n de n cy . It has been frequ en tly
said, that Mohammed allowed his followers, b e
s ides the fou r legitimate wives, to take to them
selves a n y nu mber of female slaves . A simple
statemen t of the regu latio n o n this poin t wi ll Show
a t On ce how oppose d this n otio n is to the tru e pre
cepts of Islam Whose amon g you hath not the
mean s to marry a free believin g woman,the n let
hi m marry su ch of you r ma id-serva n ts as have fa lleni n to you r ha n ds a s bon dswomen . Th is is a llowed
u n to him amo n g you who is afra id of committi n g
i n fer that the Legi slator had i n View the m ergi n g of the lower i n theh igher pri n c iple , a n d the aboli tion of a cu stom whi ch, thou gh n ecessary i n som e state of soci ety , i s opposed to the later deve lopm e n t ofthou ght a n d m oral s .
I n the origi n al , Ku l- u i -m ai l , all, a n y , or every i n cli n ation ;
th e word ki d has a vari ed s ig n ifica tio n .
TKoran , chap . i v . vers . 1 27, 1 28 .
I Kora n , chap . iv . ver . 39 .
244 IMPROVEMENT IN THE CONDITION
empi re a n d the ri se of modern soci e ty”>l< i n the
We st . Bu t i n spi te of thi s qu esti o n able am eliora
t io n, whi ch was o n ly su i te d for a n ag e of rapi n e ,falsehood
,tyra n n y
,lu st
,a n d Vi olen ce
,
” when the
abd u cti o n of wom e n w as a n everyday occu rren ce,
whe n the di ssolu te n ess of morals wa s a s fearfu l a s i n
the days of Charles II . or Lou i s Q u i n z eT—woma n
occu pie d a very low positio n i n de e d, especi ally i n
legi sla ti o n . Chr i stia n i ty h ad placed the sex u n der
a b an . Father after Father had writte n u po n the
e n ormities of wome n , their evil te n de n cies, thei r
i n co n ceivable malign i ty . Tertu llia n represe n ted the
gen eral fee li n g i n a book, a n d Chrysostom, whom
the Chri sti a n s recogn i se as a sa in t,“ in te rpreted
the ge n era l opi n i o n of the Fathers, says Lecky,whe n he pro n ou n ced w oman to be a n ecessary
evil, a n a tu ra l temptati o n,a desirable calamity,
a domestic per i l,a deadly fasci n ation , a pa i n ted
i ll .”
A n d thi s at a time when the worship of
the mothe r of Jesu s was regarded as a sacred
du ty 2
Mohamm e d had procla im ed as on e of the e ssen tial
Islamte achi n gs of h i s creed,respect for women .
’
secu red them r ights, allowed them pr ivi leges, a n d
pu t them on a footi n g of perfe ct e qu ality wi th m e n,
exceptin g so far as physi cal di fferen ces we n t . Islam
Massey , H i st . of E n glan d du ri n g the Re ign of G eorge IH .
,
vol . i i . p . 6 . T Ibid .
or WOMEN EFFECTED BY ISLAM . 245
i n trodu ced tru e chivalry i n to the w orld .
>l< The ro
m an ti c d evoti on of the Arab cavali e rs of An dalu si a
to the fa i r sex,th e m agn a n i m i ty of Ali a n d h i s so n s
i n the East, had r e su lted i n formi n g a n u n w r i tten
code of ho n ou r . Oe lsn e r calls An tar “th e Father of
Chivalry .
” Ali w as the b e au -ideal of Chivalry—a n
im pe r so n atio n of galla n try,of brave ry
,of gen e rosi ty ;
pu re,ge n tle a n d le ar n e d, w i thou t fear a n d wi thou t
reproach,” he s e t th e world the n oble st example of
chivalr ou s gra n de u r of characte r . Hi s Spi ri t,a pu re
refle cti o n of tha t of h i s Ma ster, ove rshadow e d th e
Islami c world,an d form e d the a n im ati n g ge n i u s of
su cceedi n g age s . The wars of the Cr u sade s,whi ch
brou ght barbar i a n Eu rope i n to co n ta ct wi th the
civi li sati o n of th e Islam i c East, a n d Op e n ed i ts eyes
to the m ag n ifice n ce a n d r efi n e m e n t of the Moslems
b u t especi ally th e I n flu e n ce s of Mohamm eda n An da
lu si a o n the n e ighbou r i n g Chr i stia n provi n ces- le d
to th e i n trodu ctio n of chivalry i n to Eu rope . The
trou badou r s,th e trou ve u r s a n d the m i n n e si n gers of
Sou ther n Fra n ce , who su n g of love a n d ho n ou r i n
w ar , were th e imm edi ate d i sciple s of th e r om a n ceu r s
of Cordova,Gre n ada a n d Malaga . Pe trarch a n d
Boccacci o eve n Tasso a n d Chau cer der ive d thei r i n
Com pare th e follow i n g rem ark of B u rton We re i t n ot evid e n tt‘ that the Sp i ri tu al i si n g of sexu al i ty i s u n i versal am o n g st the h ighestorders of m an ki n d, I shou ld a ttribu te th e or igi n of love to the i nfl u e n ce of the A rab
’ s poe try a n d ch iva lry u pon E u rope a n id ea srather than to m ed iaeva l Chri stia n i ty .
” B u rto n ,A Pi lgri m age to
El-Medi n ah a n d Meccah , p . 326 .
246 NOTES .
spiratio n from the Islam i c fou n tai n -he ad . Bu t th e
coarse hab its a n d thou ghts of the barbar ia n hordes
of Eu rope commu n icated a chara cter of gross n ess to
pu re
For the ge n era l ru le s i n Islam regard i n g the rights an d pri vi lege sof wom e n , co n s u lt the Majali s-u l-Ahrar
, Maj li’
s (Sean ce ) xc .
NOTE I . TO CHAPTER XIV .
My E n gl i sh readers perhaps do n ot k n ow that i n I n dia , e specia llyi n the n orth-w e ster n parts , the practice of polygam y i s exceed i n glyl im i ted . N i n e ty -fi ve Moslem s ou t of e very hu n dred are perfect m o n o
g am i sts . Ge n e rally, pu bli c op i n io n reprobate s the taki n g of a secon dw i fe ; a n d th e d i fficu l ty of afford i n g a n other e stabli shm e n t repre sse sthe de s ire s of those who m ay fee l i n cl i n ed to co n tem n the Op in io n of
the i r n e ighbou r s . A n other,a n d the m ost effi cac iou s che ck, i s em
ployed by the rela tive s of th e i n te n de d w i fe a deed has to be draw nu p by the br i degroom ,
before th e other term s are se ttle d,cove n an t i n g
that h e wou ld n ever take a n other w i fe i n case of breach, h e coven a n ts to pay a heavy su m ,
alw ays beyon d h is m ea n s . Thi s e ffectu allypreve n ts h i s m arry i n g a n other w i fe .
The w i ve s , am o n g th e be tter classe s of th e In d ian Moslem s, posse ssm ore pr ivilege s tha n those al low e d e ve n i n Eu rope . Here , a w i fe i sperfectly i n the pow er of her hu sban d ; she has to s u bm i t to a ll hiscapri ce s , excepti n g i n so far as p u bl ic op i n ion keeps h im w i thi nbou n ds ; she i s n ot the m istre ss ofh er ow n proper ty . I n I n d ia, am o n gth e Moslem s, sh e i s a perfect fre e age n t ; there i s n o law of
cove rtu re or m erger i f the hu sba n d fee ls i n cl i n ed to k eep h i sw i fe w a i t i n g ti l l th e sm all hou rs , he ha s to s u bm i t to be “ cha i n edou t .
” W i th i n her ow n dom a i n s she i s an absol u te sovere ig n .
248 NOTES ;
earth, by acti n g on the stro n ge st fee l i n g of the i r n atu re—the se n se ofho n ou r . (Com pare Sale , Pre li m i n ary D i scou rse, p . Si rW . Mu ir
also forgot that the Shi i te doctors do n ot re cogn i se the obli gation or
validi ty of the w i fe ’s be i n g m arri ed to a third person,prior to h er
be i n g take n back ; (com pare Malcolm,H i story of Persi a, vol . 11 . p .
24 1 , an d the Mabsfi t i n loco).For m y part, I be li eve i n the correctn ess of th e Shiite con stru ction ,
n am e ly, tha t the verse wh ich says, Whe n ye d i vorce wom e n ,a n d the
ti m e for se n di n g them away i s com e, e i ther re tai n them w i th
ge n eros i ty or se n d them away w i th ge n erosi ty ;b u t re tai n them n ot
by con strai n t so as to be u n j u st tow ards them , abrogate s i n toto
the precedi n g verse whi ch requ ires the i n terven tion of a third perso n .
CHAPTER XV .
I N some featu res slavery m ay be aptly compared
with polygamy . Like polygamy it has exi sted amo n g
all n ati o n s, a n d has di e d away wi th the progress of
hu man thou ght . Like polygamy,i t has bee n a n atu ral
ou tgrowth of some of the phase s of the men tal a n d
physi cal developme n t of m a n . Bu t u n like polygamy,i t bears from i ts ou tset the cu rse of i n heren t i n j u sti ce .
I n the early stage s of ma n ki n d, when the hu man
mi n d has n ot grown to the fu ll apprecia ti on of the
reciprocal rights a n d du ti es of ma n ki n d whe n laws
are made for a sectio n,or by a secti on , ra ther tha n
by the whole commu n i ty when the will of the
stro n g i s the ru le of life a n d the gu ide of co n du ct ;then the n ecessary i n equ ali ty, social, physi cal, or
me n tal,e n gen dere d by Na tu re amo n g m e n
,or bodi es
of m e n , i n variably takes the form of slavery ; a n d
a system ari se s which allows absolu te power to the
su peri or over th e i n fe r ior fi < Thi s com ple te su b s e r
v i e n cy of th e we ak to the powerfu l saved the latter
Com p . throu gho u t d e l’
I n flu e n ce (le s Croi sade s su r I ’Etat de sPe ri plcs d c l
’
Eu rope ,”by Maxi m o dc Choi se u l D ’
A illecou rt, Pari s ,1 80 9 .
2 5 0 EXAMINATION INTO THE
th e trou ble of prepari n g ru les for the gu idan ce of
their se rva n ts . It ofte n e n abled them to escape
from the mythi cal cu r se laid on m an I n the swea t
of thy face shalt thou e at bread ti ll thou retu r n
to the grou n d,”
a n d allowed them to employ the
leisu re thu s a cqu ire d i n con ge n ial pu rsu i ts . “ The
simple wish,
” says th e a u thor of An cien t Law ,to
u se the bodi ly powers of a n other perso n a s the
mean s of min i ste ri n g to o n e’ s own cas e or pleasu re,
is dou btless the fou n datio n of slavery, a n d a s old
a s hu man
The pra ctice of slavery m ay, therefore, be regarde d
as co-eval wi th hu ma n exi ste n ce . Histori cally i t s
tra ces are visible i n every ag e a n d i n every natio n of
whi ch we have a n y posi tive in formati o n . It com
m e n ce d i n th e barbarou s, we m ay say , savage stat e
of society,a n d w as reta i n ed eve n when the progr e ss
of idea s a n d mater i al civili sati o n had do n e aw ay wi th
its n ece ssi ty . The n ati o n s of a n tiqu i ty most famou s
for cou n te n a n ci n g th e system ofdomesti c slave ry we re
th e Jews, the Gre eks , the Roma n s, an d the a n ci e n t
Germa n s ;T am o n gst all of whom it preva i led, b u t
i n variou s degrees of severi ty .
Amo n g the Jew s, from the commen ceme n t of the ir
exi ste n ce as a n ati o n , two forms of slavery were
Ma i n e , A n cie n t Law ,p . 1 0 4 .
TCae sar (D e Be ll . Gall . lib . v i . Tac i tu s (D e MOI ib u s Germ an .
cap. 24 a n d Poth i er (D e stat . se i v0 i apu d G erm . lib. all
testi fy to the extrem e se veri tv of Germ an servi tu de .
25 2 D I D CHRISTIANITY
earli est pe r i od . The slaves, whether of n ative or of
foreig n birth, whether acqu ired by war or pu rchase,were" regarded simply as chattels . Their ma sters
possessed the power of life a n d death over them . Bu t
th at gradu al improvemen t, which had ra ised the
archaic laws of the Twelve Tables to the compre
he n s ive gran deu r of the Code of Hadrian,i n trodu ced
some ameliorati on i n the co n ditio n of the slaves .
The power of capi ta l a n d other severe pu n i shme n ts
w as take n away from the m a ster,yet even the ad
v an ced Roma n law wou ld n ot a llow a slave to e n te r
in to a n y obligatio n ” with his ma ster or I fi i stre s s .
>l<
Before, therefore, the teachi n gs of Jesu s had
given to the wor ld the gra n d doctrin e of u n iversal
frater n ity which h i s di sciples fa i led m i serably to
gra sp,the laws a n d regu lati o n s of the Empi re r e
gardi n g slavery had u n dergo n e a n u n paralle le d
developme n t, as compared with the su mmary mode
prevalen t amo n g the most civi li sed n atio n s who
preceded the Roma n s .
The i n trodu cti o n of Chri sti a n ity in to the Emp i re,
affected slavery o n ly so far as it regarded the pr i est
hood . A slave cou ld become free,by adopti n g
m o n achi sm i f n ot claime d wi thi n thre e y e ars .T
Bu t i n the relati o n s of pr iva te life, slavery flou r i shed
i n as vari ed shapes, as u n de r the paga n domi n ati o n .
The Digest, compi led u n der a Chris tian emperor,
Com p . th e I n sti tu te s,i n loco .
T Com p . Mi lm a n, Lati n Ch ri sti a n i ty, vol . i . p . 35 8 .
FORBID SLAVERY 5 3
pro n ou n ced slavery a co n sti tu tion of th e law of
n atu re ,>l<‘
a n d th e code fixe d th e m aximu m pr ice of
slaves accordi n g to th e profe ss io n s for whi ch they
were in te n ded . Marriage s be twe e n slave s were n ot
legal, a n d betwe e n the slave a n d the fre e , they
were prohibi ted u n de r frightfu l pe n alti e s .T The
natu ral resu l t w as u n restra i n ed co n c u bi n age,which
even the clergy recog n i sed a n d practi se d iS u ch was slavery u n der the mos t adva n ced sys
t em of law s k n ow n to the a n ci e n t world . These
reflected the wi sdom of thirteen cen tu ri es,
a n d
towards the close of their developme n t, had e n
grafte d u pon themselves some fa i n t offshoots of
the teachi n gs of on e of the greatest Preceptors of
the w orld .
~ Wi th th e establishme n t of the We ste r n a n d
Northern barbaria n s o n the ru i n s of the Roman
Empire, besides pe rso n al slavery, terri torial ser
v i tu d e scarcely kn own to th e Roma n s, becam e
ge n eral i n all the n ewly-settle d cou n tries . Th e
var i ou s rights posse sse d by the lords over thei r
vassals a n d serfs, exhibi t a frightfu l pictu re of
D ig . l . 5,s . 4.
T O n e of the pu n i shm e n ts was, i f a fre e wom an m arri ed a slave ,she was to be pu t to death an d the slave bu rn t al ive . Com p . the
sple n di d thou gh apologe ti c chapter of Mi lm an on the s u bj ect . Lati nChri stian i ty, vol . i i .T Com p . M i lm a n , Lati n Chri st . vol . 11 . p . 369 ; an d also D u Can ge
,
Con cu bi n a.
25 4 THE CHURCH LEGALI SED SLAVERY .
moral depravi ty a n d degradatio n .* The Barbar i c
codes,like th e Roman , regarded slavery a s a n
ordi n ary con di ti o n of ma n kin d, a n d if a n y proteo
ti on w as afforde d to the slave, it w as chi efly a s th e
property of h i s maste r who,alo n e, besides the state,
had the power of l ife a n d death over h im .
We see n ow that Christian ity failed u tterly in
aboli shi n g slavery or alleviati n g its evils . The
Chu rch i tself held slaves, a n d recog n ised i n expli ci t
terms,the lawfu ln ess of thi s ban efu l i n stitu tio n .
Un der its i n flu en ce the greatest civi lia n s of E u rope
have u pheld slavery, a n d have in sisted u po n its
u sefu l n ess, as preven t in g the in crea se of pau per
ism a n d theft .T
The Islamic Code dealt a blow at the i n stitu ti o n
of slavery, which, had it n ot bee n for the deep root
it had taken amo n g the s u rrou n di n g n atio n s a n d the
natu ral pe rvers ion a n d obliqu ity of the hu man mi n d,wou l d have been completely extin gu ished, as soon
Com p . D c Choi seu l, an d also con s u l t on th i s su bject the com prehe n sive chapter of Stephe n ’ s Com m e n tari e s on the laws of E n glan d
,
Bk . i i . P t . i . chap . i i . O n e of the m i serable a n d di sgu sti n g privilege s possessed by th e lord was de sign ated i n Bri tai n the c u stom ofcu li ag e , whi ch was afterwards com m u ted i n to a fi n e . Thi s cu stom
,
as has bee n correctly su pposed, gave us e to the law of i n her i ta n ceprevale n t i n som e E n gli sh cou n ti es a n d k n own by th e n am e of
Borou gh-E n gli sh .
TPu fe n dorf, Law of Natu re an d Na ti on s,Bk . v i . c . 3 , s . 1 0 ;
U lricu s Hu beru s, Prae lect . Ju r . Ci v . 1. i . t i t . 4 , s . 6 Pothier,D e
S tatu Servoru m an d Grotiu s , d e Ju re Bel l . 1. i i . c . 5 , s . 27 .
2 5 6 THE ISLAMIC LAWS
the n ame of the God who had se n t h i m to reg e n e
ra te degrade d hu man i ty, to en fra n chise slaves,“ tha n
which the r e w a s n ot a mor e acceptable a ct to God .
”
He ru le d that for cer tai n si n s of omi ssi o n , the
pe n alty shou ld be the m an u m i ssio n of slaves . He
ordered that a slave shou ld be allowed to b u y h im
self off by the wages of hi s service a n d that i n case
the u n fortu n ate bei n gs had n o prese n t mean s of ga i n,
a n d wa n ted to earn i n some other employmen t e n ou gh
to pu rcha se their liberty, they shou ld be a llowed to
leave the service they were i n , on a n agreeme n t to
that He also provided that su ms shou ld be
adva n ced to the slaves from the pu blic trea su ry to
pu rchase their liberty . I n certain co n ti n gen ci es,it
was provided tha t the slave shou ld be come e n fra n
ch i s ed withou t the i n terfe ren ce a n d eve n aga i n st
the will of h i s master . The co n tract or agreeme n t
i n which the least dou bt w as discovered w a s con
stru e d most favou rably i n the in terests of the slave
a n d the slightest promi se on the part of the master was
made obligatory for the pu rposes of e n fra n chisemen t .
S u ch were the regu lati o n s for the gradu al eman ei
pat ion of slaves . I n the moral ru le s laid down for
the treatme n t of th e se the n i n bon dage Mohammed
did n ot prescribe the reciprocal du ti es of masters
a n d slaves i n the on e -sided ma n n er so often vi sible
in other cre e d s .T Wi th a deeper a n d tru er know
Koran ,chap . xxi v . 23, e tc .
T Colossia n s, chap . i i i . ver . 22 T im othy , chap . vi . ver . 1 .
PROHIBIT SLAVERY . 25 7
ledge of hu man n atu re , he saw that it was n ot so
needfu l to lay down the d u ties the weak owed to the
stro n g ,— a s those, th e stro n g owe d to the weak .
The masters were forbidden to exact more worktha n w a s ju st a n d proper . They we re ordered n ever
to address the ir male or female slaves by that de
gradi n g appellatio n , b u t by the more affectio n aten ame of “ my you n g m an
,or
,my you n g maid
it was e n joi n ed that all slaves shou ld be dressed,
clothed, a n d fed exactly a s their masters a n d mis
tresses . Above all,i t was ordered that i n n o case
shou ld the mother be separated from the child n or
brother from brother n or father from son n or a n y
relative from a n other relative .* Even withou t con
ten di n g with the able au thor of the paper on slavery
i n the Mohammeda n Soci al Reformer, that the words
of the Kora n o n ly appli ed to the existi n g state
of thi n gs (as regarded the holdi n g of slaves), a n d
had n o prospective mea n in g, w e mu st state ou r
fi rm beli ef that, from the regu lation s above de
scr ibed a n d the sig n ifican ce of the expressi o n
applied to Slaves a n d slavery, the Legi slator himse lf
looked u po n the cu stom as tem porarv i n i ts n atu r e ,
a n d held that its extin ctio n wa s su re to be achi eved
9" I see n o n eed of qu oti n g au thori ti es on these po i n ts, as they areadm i tted facts . Bu t I m ay refer the cu riou s reader to the trad i tio n scollected i n the Mi shkat , the Sahi h of B u khari , a n d the Bahar-u lAn war . The latter con tai n s the n oblest m o n u m e n ts of ge n erosi ty a n dchari ty practi sed by the Prophet
’s im m ediate desce n dan ts .
25 8 THE I SLAMI C LAWS
by the progress of idea s a n d cha n ge of ci rcu mstan ces .
I n the Kora n , the s laves are almost in variably called
those whom you r right ha n ds posse ss,
” or a s some
co n te n d have become posse ssed of.” Wi thou t
e n te ri n g i n to th e co n sequ e n ce s that m ight se em to
re su lt from th e slight varia tio n i n th e i n terpr e tati o n
of th e te rm s, w e hold tha t the d efin i tio n of slave s a s
those whom ou r right ha n ds posse ss, or who have
be come captives i n o u r han ds, w a s i n te n de d to
restrict absolu te ly th e m ea n s of a cqu isi ti o n of
bo n dsme n or bo n dswom e n . They we re o n ly to be
acqu i red in o n e w ay— an d tha t i n bon d fi d e
le gal warfare, when captives fell i n to the .ha n d s of
the soldi ers . Amo n g all barbarou s n ati on s,the
captives are spared from a motive of se lfish n es s
alo n e,>i< i n order to ad d to the wealth of the in di
vidu a l captor or of the collective n ation , by their
sale-mo n ey or by thei r labou r s i' Like other n ati on s
of a n tiqu i ty, th e Arab of the pre-Islamite period,
spared the lives of h i s captives for the sake of pro
fi t i n g by them . Mohammed fou n d thi s cu stom ex
i s t i n g amo n g hi s people . In stead of theorisi n g,or
Com p . Mi lm a n, Lati n Chr i st. vol . 11 . p . 387 . The an cie n t
ju ri sts ba sed the right of e n slavm g the captive on th e pri or right ofk i lli n g h im . I n thi s, they are followed by Albericu s Ge n ti l i s (D eJa r. - Gen t . cap. d e Servi t u te ), Groti u s, a n d Pu fe n dorf. Mon tesqu ie u ,i n deed, w as the first to de n y thi s m ythi ca l right of ki ll i n g a captive ,u n le ss i n cas e of absolu te n ece ssi ty, or for se lf-preserva ti o n . A n d
th i s the a u thor of the Spi ri t of Laws” de n i ed, be ca u se of his freedom from the thraldom of the Chu rch .
T Com p . Mi lm a n,Hi st . of the Jews, vol . i i i
/
p. 48 .
260 SLAVERY ABHORRENT TO ISLAM .
idolatrou s aggressors, a n d its permissio n w as a g u a
ran tec for the safe ty a n d prese rvatio n of the captive s .
The cessati o n of the state of w ar i n which theMosle
commu n i ty w as a t first i n volved,from the a n im osi t
of the s u rrou n din g tribes a n d n atio n s,wou ld have
brou ght abou t the exti n cti o n of slavery by a n atu ra
process,— the stoppage of fu tu re a cqu i si tio n a n d th e
en fra n chiseme n t of those i n bo n dage . However,
whether from co n tact with the demora lised n atio n s 0
the East a n d the West, a n d the wi ld races of th
North (amo n g all of whom slavery w a s i n grain ed) o
perhaps, a s seems more probable, from the time n o
havin g the n arrived to show the fu ll fru its of thos
ben eficia l laws a n d precepts,—the maj ority of th
Moslems,like the Christian s a n d the Jews
,recog
n i sed slavery, a n d to some exten t do so even n ow
Bu t the wild Tu rkoma n , who glories i n slave-liftin g,is n o more a represen ta tive of Islam tha n i s the bar
b aron s Gu acho, who revels o n the savage pra iries 0
Sou th America, of Christia n ity . Like polygamy, th
i n stitu tio n of slavery, prevalen t u n iversally amo n
m an kin d at s ome stage or other of their growth, has
at lea st amo n g the n at io n s which claim to be civi li se
ou tlived the necessities which i n du ced its practice
a n d mu st soon er or later become exti n ct . It wil l b
seen,therefore
,tha t Islam d i d n ot con secrate’
slavery, as has been erro n eou sly su pposed, b u t pro
vi d ed in every way for i ts abolitio n a n d exti n cti on ,by c i rcu mscribing the me ans of possession within
SLAVERY ABHORRENT TO ISLAM . 261
the n arrowest limits . Islam did n ot dea l capriciou sly
wi th this importa n t qu estion . Whi lst proclaimi n g i n
th e most emphatic terms the n atu ral equ ality of
hu ma n bein gs,it did n ot , regardless of co n sequ en ces,
e n fran chi se the m e n a n d women already i n bo n dage,
whi ch wou ld have o n ly bee n produ ctive of evil i n a
world n ot the n ripe for that gran d con su mmatio n of
hu man liberty, mora l a n d in tellectu al .
The time is n ow arrived whe n hu ma n ity at large,Shou ld raise its voi ce agai n st the practi ce of servi
tu de,i n whatever shape or u n der whatever d e n om i
natio n i t may be di sgu i sed . The Moslem s espe ci a lly,for the ho n ou r of their n oble Prophe t
,shou ld try to
effa ce that dark page from thei r hi story—a page
whi ch wou l d n ever have bee n wri tte n b u t for their
co n trave n ti on of the spi rit of h i s laws, b u t which
appears bright by the si de of the ghastly scrolls on
whi ch the de eds of the profe ssors of the rival creeds
are recorde d . Th e d ay is come, whe n th e voi ce
whi ch proclaime d liberty, equ ality a n d u n ive rsal
brothe rhood amo n g all ma n ki n d Shou ld be heard
wi th the fresh vigou r a cqu ired from the spiri tu al
exi ste n ce a n d Spiri tu al perva si on of thirtee n ce n
t u ri e s . It remai n s for the Moslems to Show the
falsen ess of th e a spe rsi o n s cast on the memory of
the gr eat a n d n oble Prophet, by procla imi n g i n ex
pli ci tterms tha t Slave ry i s r eprobated by the i r Fa i th,
an d di scou n te n a n ced by the ir Code . So w i ll they
add to their glory an d h i s, a n d to the glory, if
who e n dowed the Legislator with the ge n iu s to
evolve su ch laws of
NOTE TO CHAPTER XV.
Karm ath, who flou ri shed i n the te n th ce n tu ry of the Chri stia n
era , a n d whose n am e , j u stly or u n ju stly , has be com e i n fam ou s
am o n g the orthodox se ction a t least of the Moslem s, was the firstto procla im to the world that Islam forbade slavery . Whe ther hewas all tha t he i s pa i n ted i s dou btfu l ; bu t i t i s certai n that m an y ofthe i n iqu i ti e s practi sed by h is d i sciples (am o n g whom w as HassanSshah, the
“ O ld m an of the have com e to be ascribed toKarm ath . Karm ath i s sa i d to have belo n ged to the Bati n yfi. schoo lwh ich he ld tha t the rel igion of Moham m ed, like the a n ci e n t fai ths
,
had two s ig n i fi ca tion s , on e e soteri c, the other exoteri c see the sple nd i d resu m é of the ir doctri n es i n Shahrastan i , p . 147 . (Cu re to n ’
s
264 THE I DEA or FUTURE EXISTENCE
e n ce after the cou rse here has been fu lfilled . Bu t
eve n in this Stage, the hu ma n co n ceptio n does n ot
rise ou t of the groove of daily li fe . Life after
death i s a mere co n ti n u ation of life o n earth thou gh
w ith fewer fami n es to fear with more to live u po n .
This idea of a co n tin u ed life beyon d the grave,mu st
have been developed from the yet u n co n sciou s
lon gin g of the hu ma n sou l for a more exten ded
sphe re, where the separatio n of dear frien ds, so
pain fu l to both savage a n d civilised m a n,shou ld end
in re -u ni on .
The next stage is soon reached ; m an comes to
believe that presen t happin ess a n d m isery are n ot,
can n ot be, the b e -all a n d e n d -all of hi s existen ce ;that there wil l be a n other life
,or that there is a n o
ther life after de ath, where he will be happy or
m iserable i n proporti o n to h i s desert s . *
Now we have reached a Prin ciple an d a Law .
The min d of m a n goes n o fu rthe r towards deve
lopi n g the idea of fu tu re exi ste n ce . The n ihi li sti c
phi losopher makes n o di scovery, a sserts n o n ew
pos i tion . He is o n ly treadi n g i n the footsteps of
ou r savage a n cestor, whose field of vi sio n w as re
s tr i ct ed to thi s life an d thi s alo n e . Hu ma n thou ght,
a t lea st here, ru n s i n a cycle
It i s a well- a u the n ti cated fa ct,however
,that all
those idea s whi ch r epre se n t the variou s stage s,from
Com p . thr ou ghou t Tylor'
s Prim i tive C u lt u re .
A GRADUAL DEVELOPMENT . 265
a su bjective poi n t of view , exi st sim u lta n eou sly n ot
o n ly amo n g di ffere n t n ation s, b u t eve n i n the samen a ti o n ,
i n diffe r e n t comb i n atio n s,accordi n g to the
i n divi du al developmen t .
The Egyptia n s are sa id to have been the first to
recogn i se the doc tri n e of a fu tu re li fe ; or at le ast
to base the pri n ciples of hu man co n du ct on su ch a
doctri n e . Wi th an i dea of me tempsychosis they
j oin ed a n idea of fu tu re recompe n se a n d pu n i sh
m en t . Ma n desce n de d i n to th e tomb o n ly to ri se
aga i n . After hi s resu rrecti on he e n te red on a n ew
life, i n compa n y wi th the s u n , th e prin ciple of
ge n era tio n , th e se lf-exi sten t cau se of all . The sou l
of m a n w as co n sidered immortal like the s u n,a n d
a s accom pli shi n g the same pi lgr im ages . All bodi es
de sce n de d in to the lower w orld ; b u t they were
n ot all a ssu re d of re su rre cti o n . The deceased were
j u dge d by Osi r i s a n d hi s forty-two a sse ssors . An
n ih i lat ion w as often beli eved to b e th e lot of those
adj u dged gu ilty . The righte ou s , pu r ifi ed from v e
n i al fa u lts, e n te r ed i n to perfe ct happi n ess ; a n d
, a s
the com pa n i o n s of Osir i s,were fe d by h im w ith
de li ci ou s food .
>l<
W e m ight n atu rally expe ct that th e lo n g stay of
the Israe li te s i n Egypt w ou ld i n trodu ce am on g them
some co n cepti o n of a fu tu re life , w ith i ts con com i
ta n t idea of rewards a n d pu n i shme n ts . Bu t pu re
Com p . Le n orm an t,A n cie n t H i st. of th e East , vol . i . pp. 3 1 9 -322 ;
a n d Alger, Hi st . of the Doctri n e of a Fu tu re Life , p . 1 0 2,e t seq .
266 AMONG THE JEws .
Mo‘
saism (or the teachin gs which pa ss u n der tha t
n ame) does n ot recogn ise a state of existen ce differ
i n g from the prese n t . The pivot on which the
e n ti re system of Mosaic legislatio n tu rns, con sists
of ta n gible earthly rewards a n d pu n i shme n ts . * The
vitali ty of the laws is co n fin ed within a very small
compass . The doctrin e of a resu rrection,with the
idea s arisi n g from it which appears i n later Ju daism—especi ally i n the writin gs of Da n iel a n d Ezekiel
is evide n tly a fru it of foreig n growth, derived from
Zoroastrian sou rces . Even the d escriptio n s of
She ol,the comm o n sojou r n of departed bei n gs
,
equ ally of the ju st an d u n j u st,whi ch appear i n
com paratively early wri tin gs,do n ot seem of tru e
Hebraic origin ,so u tte rly do they differ from Semi ti c
co n ceptio n s . I n Sheol m a n ca n n o lo n ge r pra ise God
or remembe r hi s lovi n g k i n d n e ssd' It i s a shadow
realm,a Jewi sh cou n terpart of the heathen Hade s
,
i n whi ch the sou ls lead a sad , lethargi c, comfortle ss
exi ste n ce kn owi n g n othi n g of those who we re dear
to them on earth,m ou rn in g o n ly over their own
co n dition . 1Bu t la te r Ju da i sm is fu ll of the stro n gest fa ith i n
a fu tu re li fe . Trad itio n reve ls i n the d escriptio n s
of the abodes of bli ss, or of the horrors of th e
Com p . A lger, Hi st . of th e Doctr i n e of a F u tu re L ife, p . 1 5 7 ;
also Mi lm a n’s Chri stian i ty, vol . i . pp . 2 1
, 2 5 , 7 5 , &c .
1” PS . v i . 5 .
1 Job x i v . 22 . Com p . Dolli n ge r , vol . i i . p . 38 9 ; a n d Alger, Hi s t .of the Doctri n e of a Fu tu re Li fe , pp . 1 5 1 , 1 5 2 , e t seq .
268 AMONG THE ZOROASTRIANS .
whi ch scholars are divi ded . Dollin ger, with Bu r n ou f
a n d others, believes that this n otio n was n ot really
Zoroastr i c a n d that it is of later growth,if n ot
der ived from the Hebrews . *
However thi s be, abou t the time of the Prophet
of Arab i a the Persian s had a stron g a n d developed
co n ceptio n of fu tu re life . The remai n s of the Ze n d .
Avesta which have come down to u s expressly r e
cogn ise a belief i n fu tu re rew ards a n d p u n ishmen ts .
The Zoroastri a n ism of the Ve n didad a n d the Bu n
d eh e sh , e n largi n g u po n the beli efs of the Avesta,
holds that after a ma n ’ s death the demo n s take
possession of his body, yet o n the thi rd d ay co n
sc iou s n e ss retu rn s . Sou ls that i n their lifetime have
yielded to the sedu ctio n s of evi l ca n n ot pass the
terrible bridge Chi n evad , to whi ch they ar e con
du cted on the d ay follow i n g the thi rd n ight after their
d eath . The good su ccessfu lly pass it, co n du cted by
the Yaz atas (i n modern Persia n ,I z ed) a n d
,e n ter
i n g the r ealms of bliss, joi n Ormu zd a n d the Am
Shaspa n d s i n their abode where,seated on thro n es
of gold,they en joy the society of b e au tifu l fa iri es
(Hooran -i -B ihisht) a n d all ma n n er of delights . The
Alger has fu rn i shed u s w i th stro n g reaso n s for su pposi n g thatthe early Zoroastri an s be l ieved i n a bodi ly re su rrectio n . The e x
trem e repu gn a n ce w i th wh i ch the Mago—Zoroastri a n s regardedcorpse s, i s n o reason for d i scard i n g thi s co n clu sion ; as m os t probablyth i s repu gn a n ce arose u n der Ma n i chean i n flu e n ce s . See A lger, p . 1 38 ,
e t seq . A propos o f the repu g n a n ce w i th wh i ch the Persia n s i n MO
ham m ed’
s tim e looked u pon corpse s , co n su lt Dolli n ger , vol . i i . p . 40 9 .
AMONG THE ZOROASTRIANS . 269
wicked fall over the br idge or are dragged downi n to th e gu lf of Du zakh where they are torm e n ted
by the D aeva s . The du rati o n of thi s pu n i shme n t i sfi xe d by Ormu zd
,a n d s ome are re deemed by the
prayer s a n d i n tercessi o n s of their fri e n ds . Towards
th e e n d of the world a Prophe t i s to ari se who i s to
r id the earth of i n ju sti ce a n d wi ckedn e ss, a n d u sher
i n a r e i g n of After thi s a u n iversal re su r
rectio n w ill take place, a n d fri en ds an d re lati ves wi ll
meet agai n . After the joys of recogn itio n ther e
will follow a separatio n of the good from the bad .
The torme n ts of the u n righteou s wi ll be fearfu l .
Ahr ima n wi ll r u n u p a n d down Chi n evad over
whe lmed with a n gu i sh . A blazi n g come t falli n g on
the earth, will ign i te the world . Mou n tai n s wi ll
m elt a n d flow together like liqu id metal . All m an
k i n d,good a n d bad alike
,wi ll pas s throu gh thi s
glowi n g flood,a n d come ou t pu rified . Eve n Ah
riman wi ll be cha n ged, a n d the Du zakh pu rified .
Evi l then ceforth will be a n n ihi lated ; a n d all m a n
ki n d w ill live i n the en joymen t of i n efl'
ab le delights .
Su ch is the su mmary, as give n by the great
scholars of the East a n d the West, of a religi o n whi ch
has i nflu e n ced the Semitic Faiths i n a n u n m i stak e
Shahrastan'
i calls thi s prophet Ush i derbeka (Cu re ton’s Ed .
p. b u t accordi n g to We stern a u thors h i s n am e i s sa id to be
Sosiosch , who i s to be preceded by two other prophe ts, called
Oscheder Bam i a n d Osch éd erm ah (Doll i n ger, vol . i i . p . D e
Sacy calls him Pashou tan , (Su r Div. A n t . de la Perse, p .
2 70 THE JEWISH BELIEF
able ma n n er, a n d especially the eclecti c faith of
Mohammed .
Abou t the time whe n Jesu s of Nazareth mad e hi s
appearan ce, the Phoe n icia n s a n d Assyria n s had pa ssed
away . The Helle n i sed Roma n ru led the world,
checked i n the Ea st, however, by triu mpha n t a n d
revived Mago -Zoroastria n ism .
The Jew had lost his in depe n de n ce for ever . A
miserable sycopha n t occu pied the thro n e of Davi d .
A mightier power tha n that of the S eleu cidae kept i n
su bje ctio n his spirit of u n ru lin ess . Like every n ati o n
a n imated by a fierce love of the ir cou n try, creed a n d
in dividu ality, the Jews, as their fate grew darker
a n d darker, became more a n d more i n spired wi th
the hope that someHeaven -commissi o n ed mi n istran t ,like Gideo n or Maccabeu s, wou ld restore their
origin al glory, a n d e nable them to pla n t their foot on
the n ecks of their ma n y oppressors .* The appear
a n ce of a Messiah, portrayed i n vivid colou rs by all
their patriotic Seers, the Jewish Bards, w as fou n ded
on o n e gra n d a spiration—the restoratio n of the
Kin gdom of Israel . Un der the i n flu en ces of the
Mago-Zoroastria n s i n the Ea st, a n d the Grecian
schools of philosophy in the West,amo n g some
classes of society (especially amo n g those whom the
hellenisin g te n dencies of Herod had withdraw n from
It i s n ot n ece ssary, as Alger su pposes , tha t becau se the Jewslooked forward to the reappearan ce of Elijah or som e other prophe tam on g them for the se n ation al pu rposes, w e m u st con clu de that theybelieved i n tran sm ig rati on .
272 THE MESSIANIC PROPHECIES .
The Messia n i c prophecies comme n ce with the
calamities of the Jews . All prophecies of a De
live re r have a sim i lar origi n . A n d all su ch pro
ph e c i e s e n d , or, as we ou ght perhaps to say , are fu l
filled i n some Person who a ccompli shes the du ty
Provi den ce appears to impose u po n h im,a ccordi n g
to the dictates of his co n sci e n ce b u t departs more
or less from the vagu e predi ctio n s held ou t to the
masses i n the ou tpou r I n g s of loyal hearts, grievin g
over the moral a n d soci al ru i n of their people, a n d
which are cherished by the latter as the o n ly sou rce
of co n solati o n u n der degradation a n d despair.
Thu s Je su s m ade hi s appeara n ce .
The tradi tio n s which record the sayin gs of Jesu s
have go n e throu g h'
su ch a proce s s of elimi n atio n a n d
selectio n,that i t is hardly possible at the prese n t
momen t to say whi ch ar e really hi s ow n words a n d
which are Bu t takin g them a s they sta n d,a n d on the same footin g as we regard other reli
g i ou s docu men ts (wi thou t ign ori n g their real Sp iri t,yet wi thou t tryin g to fi n d mysteri ou s mean i n gs like
the fa i thfu l believer), we see that throu ghou t these
tradition al records, the n otio n of a n immediate
adven t of a n ew order of thin gs of a ki n gdom
of heaven ” is so predomi n a n t i n the min d of Jesu s
a s to overshadow all other ideas . The Son of Man
has appeared ; the Ki n gdom of God is at hand ; su ch
See n ote II to th is chapter, chap . x vi .
THE CHRI ST I AN TRADIT I ONS .
i s the theme of eve ry hope fu l word fl< Thi s ki n gd om w a s to replace th e soci e ty a n d gove r n m e n t
whi ch the Prophe t of Nazare th fo u n d so impe rfe cta n d evi l . At time s, h is w ords led the di sciple s to
co n clu de that th e n ew Te acher w as bor n to le ad
o n ly the poor a n d th e fami shed to glory an d happin ess ; tha t, u n der the hoped-for theocrati c ré g im e
the se alon e wou ld be the ble sse d, a n d wou ld con
s t i tu te the predomi n ati n g eleme n t ; for“ woe” i s
d en ou n ced i n awfu l term s aga i n st the ri ch a n d th e
we ll-fed . 1 At othe r times,the realm of God i s
u n de rstood to mean the li teral fu lfilm e n t of the
apocalypti c vi si o n s or dreams co n n e cted wi th theappe ara n ce of the Messiah . Some time s, howeve r,the ki n gdom of God is a realm of sou ls, a n d the
approachi n g delivera n ce i s me rely a spi r i tu al del ive r
a n ce from the bo n dage of thi s mu n dan e existe n ce .
All the se co n cepti o n s appear a t on e pe r i od to have
exi st e d i n the mi n d of Je su s s im u ltan e ou sly j Bu t
the fi erce n e ss a n d bigotry of the domi n an t party a n d
th e powe r of the Roma n eagle m ade a n y imm e d iate
social cha n ge imposs ible . As eve ry hope of prese n t
Matt . iv . 1 7 x . 7 , e tc.
1 Lu ke v i i . 20, e t seq . I n Matthew
,
“ the poor i n Sp ir i t are
m e n tion ed . Bu t the s im pler statem e n t of Lu ke , a s has be e n so
w e l l poi n ted ou t, se em s m ore a u the n tic from the fact tha t the heartl e ss epi cu rean i sm of the u pper classe s m u st have n atu rally e s tra n ge d
the pi ti fu l he art of Je su s from them .
I Re n an , V i e d e Je su s , 28 2 .
274 PARADISE AND HELL .
ameli oratio n di ed away,hopes an d a spiratio n s of a
brighter fu tu re took possessio n of the heart . Jesu s
fe lt th e prese n t state cou ld n ot last lo n g tha t the
time of the regen erati on of ma n kin d w as a t ha n d ;>l<
when he himself wou ld appear i n the clou ds of h ea
v e n , clothed in divin e garmen ts, seated on a thro n e,s u rrou n ded by a n gels a n d his chosen d i sciple s j
‘
The dead wou ld rise from their graves z!: a n d the
Messiah wou l d Si t in ju dgmen t . The a n gels wou ld
be the execu tors of his sentence . He wou ld se n d
the elect to a deliciou s abode prepared from the
begin n in g of the world, a n d the u n righteou s i n to
everlastin g fire prepared for the devil a n d his
a n gels,’ where there will be weepin g an d gn ash
i n g of teeth . The chosen ,not nu meri cally large,”
wou ld be taken in to an illu min ated man si on,whe re
they wil l partake of ba n qu ets presided over by the
father of the race of Israel, the patriarchs a n d the
Proph e tsfi l a n d in which Jesu s himself w ill
Matt . x i x . 1 8 .
TMatt . x vi . 27 xxi v . 30 -31 xxv . 3 1 , et seq . , e tc.
1 Rev . xx . 1 2, 1 3 . Com p . the se n oti on s w i th the Zoroastrian belief .
Matt . x x v . 4 1 . Lu ke xi i i . 23 .
11 Matt . v i i i . 1 1 Lu ke xi i i . 28 x x u . 30 .
Matt . xxv i . 29 . Later tradi tion i sts how ever e n large u pon thesede scription s of paradi se an d he ll, an d reve l i n the m ost gorgeou s fa ntasi es
,whi ch go u n der th e n am e of revela ti o n s, thou gh perhaps they
m ay n ot be recog n i sed by som e section s of Chri stian s . V id . Reve l .x x i . 8 -2 1 ; xxi i . 2-3 . I n pu eri l i ty e ve n , th e Chri stian tradi tio n i stsdo n ot fall short of the followers of other creeds ; for i n stan ce the
2 76 THE ISLAMIC CONCEPTI ON
the ir views beyo n d the restri cte d horizo n of th e
Ju d aic world, a n d forgetti n g the i r mi lle n aria n dream
they pa ss i n to the Greek a n d Roman system, a n d
exten d the empire of their creed over u n told legi o n s
of barbari an s fresh from their forests,who looked
u pon Jesu s an d his mother a s the cou n terparts of
their own Odin a n d Freya worshipped i n their pri
m eval homes .
Bu t ever a n d a n o n , the Christian world has bee n
agitated i n momen ts of co n vu lsio n s a n d di sasters by
the m i llen ary excitement a n d a fierce expectation of
the apocalyptic appeara n ce of the great Prophet of
Nazareth . The ide a, however, of the realm of God
has,with the lapse of ages a n d progress of thou ght,
take n either a spiritu al Shape or u tte rly faded away
from the min d or,where it has bee n retain ed ,
derive s its character from the su rrou n di n gs of the
i n dividu al believer . *
S u ch was the state Of belief with regard to a
fu tu re existe n ce amo n g the variou s religio n i sts of
the earth pri or to the teachi n gs of Mohammed .
The chi ef a n d predomi n ati n g i dea i n Islam r e
spectin g a fu tu re li fe i s fou n ded u po n the belief tha t,i n a state of exis te n ce hereafter, every hu m a n be i n gwill have to re n der a n accou n t of his or her a cti on s
o n earth, a n d tha t the happi n ess or misery of i n di
I n m y lo n g i n tercou rse w i th cu ltiva ted Chri stia n s, I have o n lym e t w i th fou r or fi ve perso n s who y et a n xiou sly looked forward to thes u dde n appearan ce of the j u dg i n g Me ss iah .
or A FUTURE EXI STENCE . 277
v id u als wi ll d epe n d u po n the man n er i n wh ich they
have performed the behests of thei r Cre ator. Hi s
mercy a n d grace i s n evertheless u n bou n ded an d w ill
b e bestowe d alike u po n Hi s creatu res . Thi s i s the
pivot o n whi ch th e whole doctr i n e of fu tu re life i n
Islam tu rn s ; a n d thi s i s the o n ly doctri n al
o n e i s requ i red to believe a n d accep
e leme n ts—whether evolved from the gen iu s a n d i n
tu i ti o n of the i n spire d Teacher or cau ght u p a n d
syn creti sed from the floati n g tradi tio n s of the races
a n d pe oples of hi s time— all the se othe r eleme n ts,whatever thei r u ltimate Sig n ifican ce, are mere a cce s
sor i e s . Se ttin g a side from ou r co n siderati o n the
qu esti on of su bj e ctivity in volve d i n all i dea s of
fu tu re rewards a n d pu n i shme n t s, we m ay say , i n all
i dea s of a life after dea th, we mu st bear i n mi n d that
these ide as have fu rn i shed to the moral teachers of
the wor ld, the most powerfu l i n stru me n t for i n flu
e n c i n g the con du ct of in dividu als a n d n ati o n s . Bu t
thou gh every re ligi on ,more or less, co n t a i n s the
ge rm of th i s prin ciple of fu tu re accou n tabi li ty i n
a n other state, all have fa i led to re ali se thorou ghly
its n atu re a s a co n ti n u ou s age n cy for th e elevatio n
of th e masse s . Vi rtu e for i t s ow n sake , can o n ly b e
gra spe d by min ds of su per io r d eve lopm e n t — for
th e average i n te lle ct, a n d for the u n ed u ca ted, sa n c
tio n s more or le ss comprehe n sible will always b e
ne ce ssary .
To tu rn n ow to the n atu re of the se sa n cti o n s— i t
278 ISLAMIC CONCEPTION
mu st be remembered tha t it is scarcely ever pos
sible to co n vey a n idea of spi r i tu al pleasu re or Spi
ritu a l pain to the apprehe n sio n s of the gen erality
of man kin d withou t clothi n g the expressio n s i n the
garb of ta n gible perso n alities or in trod u ci n g sensible
objects i n to the descripti o n of su ch pleasu re or pai n .
Philosophy has wra n gled over abstract expressio n s
u n dressed i n ta n gible phra seology . Su ch expres
si o n s a n d co n ceptio n s have s een their d ay ; have
flou rished a n d have died withou t makin g themselves
felt beyo n d a small restricted circle of dreamers,who lived in the i n defi n able vagu en ess of their own
thou ghts .
Mohammed w as addressing himself not o n ly to
the adva n ced min ds of a few ideali stic thi n kers who
happe n ed to be then livi n g, b u t to the wide world
arou n d him e n grossed i n materialism of every type .
He had to adapt himse lf to the comprehen si o n s of
all . To the wild famished Ar ab, what more gratefu l
or wha t m ore co n so n a n t to his idea s of paradise,than rivers of u n su llie d in corru ptible water, or of
mi lk a n d ho n ey ;>f< or a n ythin g more a cceptable
than u n bou n ded fru i ts, lu xu ria n t vegetati on, i n e x
hau stible fertility ? He cou ld co n ceive of n o blis s
Com pare the cu riou s a n ecdo te of the Irab i (Bedo u i n Arab) whohe ari n g of the m u m fi ce n ce of A bdallah-al-Mam u n ,
a n d by cha n ced i scover i n g a w e ll of ra i n -water, a n d co n clu d i n g by i ts taste , so d i f
fe re n t from the brack ish water of the de sert, that i t cam e from parad is e brou g ht a qu a n ti ty of i t to Mam u n .
280 PARABOLIC CHARAC TER
follow in g verse of th e Koran And God i n v i te th
u n to the Dw e lli n g of Pe ace . For those
who do good, the re is excelle n t reward a n d su per
ab u n da n t addi tio n .
’
As to the parabolical n atu re of the Koran ic ex
pressio n s, this school of thin kers bases its con v i c
tio n s on the followin g passage of the i n spired Book
It is He who hath se n t down u n to thee ‘ the
Book .
’Some of the Sign s (verses) are firm (i . e .
pe rspicu ou s or clear to u n derstan d) — these are
th e basis (or fu n dame n ta l part) of the Book
a n d others ar e figu ra tive . ’ 1°
An other sectio n looks u po n the j oys a n d pam s of
the Hereafter a s e n tirely su bje ctive . It holds tha t
a s extreme me n tal pa i n is far more ago n i si n g than
physi cal pai n , so i s men tal pleasu re of the higher
type far more raptu rou s tha n a n y sen su ou s pleasu re
tha t as, afte r physica l death, the i n dividu al S ou l
me rge s retu rn s,
’i n th e Kora n ic expressio n s) i n
the Un iversal Sou l, all the joys a n d pai n s , portrayed
i n vivid colou rs by the i n spired Tea cher to e n able
the masses to gra sp the tru th, wi ll be m e n tal a n d
su bj e ctive . Thi s sectio n I n clu des withi n its bosom
some of the greatest Sfi fi s or Mysti cs of the Moslem
world
Koran ,chap . x . ve r . 2 7 . Co n su l t here Zam akh shri (th e Kas
shaf ) Eg yp. e d . pt . 1 , p . 244 ; he gi ve s the fu llest refere n ce s to the
Op i n io n s of the di ff e re n t theolog i a n s a n d schools , a n d e spe cia lly
m e n t io n s the t Ct l l u cS of the Mu sha bba h t tcs a n d the Mu g abe/
l i tes .
TKO I a n , chap . 111. ver . 5 .
or SOME VERSES OF THE KORAN . 28 1
An othe r, a n d by far th e large st class,however
,
be li eve i n th e literal fu lfilme n t of all the word-pa i n t
i n gs of the Kora n .
Wi thou t ve n tu rin g to pass a n y Opi n io n on these
d iffe re n t n otio n s, we m ay take thi s occasi o n to state
ou r ow n be li ef wi th regard to the Koran i c con ceptio n of fu tu re rewards a n d pu n i shme n ts .
A carefu l stu dy of the Kora n m akes i t evide n t
that the m i n d of Mohammed w e n t thron g h th e same
process of deve lopme n t whi ch marked the religiou s
co n sciou s n ess of Je su s . Mohammed an d Jesu s ar e
the o n ly two hi stor i c Teache rs of the world a n d for
thi s re aso n we take them toge ther . How great thi s
developme n t w a s i n Je su s, i s appare n t n ot o n ly from
the ide ali sed con cepti o n tow a rds the e n d of h i s
earthly career regardi n g the ki n gdom of h eave n
b u t also from th e cha n ge of to n e towards th e n o n
Israe li tes . Thorou ghly exclu sive a t fi rs t,
>l< w i th a
more deve loped re ligiou s co n sciou s n ess, wider sym
path i e s awake n i n the h ear t j‘
As with Je su s, so wi th Mohammed .
The variou s chapters of the Koran whi ch con ta i n
the orn a te description s of paradi se , whe the r fi g u
ra t i ve or litera l, were deli vere d wholly or i n pa r t a t
Mecca .Probably i n the i n fa n cy of hi s re ligiou s
Matt . x . 5 xv . 22-26 .
TMatt . xxvi i i . 1 9 , & c . Com p . throu ghou t Strau ss , New Li fe ofJesu s, vol . i . p . 29 6 , ct seq .
282 PROGRESSIVE DEVELOPMENT
co n sciou s n ess Mohammed himself believed i n some
or other of the tradi tio n s which floated arou n d h i m .
Bu t wi th a wider awaken i n g of the sou l, a deeper
c ommu n io n with the Spirit of the Un iverse,thou ghts
whi ch bore a material a spect at first became Spi ri tu
a lised .
rllh e mind of the Teacher progressed n ot
o n ly with th e'
m arch of time a n d the developm en t of
hi s Religiou s Co n sciou sn ess, b u t also with the pro
gress of his disciples i n apprehe n din g spiri tu al con
c ept i on s . He n ce, i n the later su m s,we observe a
complete mergi n g of the m aterial i n the spiritu al, of
the body i n the so u l . The garde n s watered by
rivers, perpetu a l Shade,>l< plen ty a n d harmo n y, SO
agreeable to the famished de n ize n of the parched,
Shade le ss, a n d wa terle s s desert, at perpetu al di scord
with himself a n d all arou n d hi m,—these sti ll form
the grou n dwork of beau ti fu l imageri es b u t the
happi n ess of the blessed i s Shown to co n sist i n etern al
pe ace a n d good wi ll i n the pre se n ce of thei r Creator .
Bu t those,” says the Kora n
,
“ who ar e piou s
Shall dwe ll i n garde n s, ami dst fou n tain s ; (they
Shall say u n to them) E n ter ye therei n i n peace
a n d s e cu ri ty’ ; a n d all ra n cou r wi ll we removefrom thei r bosoms they Shall Si t a s bre thre n
,face
to face,'
i‘
o n . cou ches ; weari n ess Shall n ot afl’
e ct
Koran , chap . xii i . ver . 34 xlvi i . ver . 1 6 , 1 7 Com p . also chaps .i x . x . a n d x i v .
1 See the n ote by Sale to th i s passage .
284 THE KORANIC CONCEPTION
a n d they who i n habit it imagi n e they have power
over i t (Bu t), ou r behest cometh u n to it by n ight
or by day , a n d we make it a s if i t had bee n mow n ,a s thou gh it had n ot teemed (with ferti lity) o n ly
yeste rday . Thu s do we make ou r sig n s cle ar u n to
those who co n sider . And God i n v i te th u n to the
Abode of Pe ace, a n d g u id e th whom He pleaseth
in to the right For those who do good is
excelle n t reward a n d su perab u n da n t additio n of it ;n e ither black n ess n or shame shall cover their faces .
These are the i n habita n ts of paradise therein d o
they ab ide for ever . Bu t those who have wrou ght
evi l, shall receive the reward of evil, equ al there
u n to ;1‘
a n d Shame Shall cover them,- (for there wi ll
be no n e to protect them aga i n st God), a s thou gh
their faces were covered with a piece of the n ight
of profou n d dark n ess .”1The n agai n the followin g pa ssage, i n its solem n
gra n deu r,i ts su blime dign i ty a n d the pu rity of i ts
a spira tio n s, n ot to say i ts practi ca l depth , is s u rpasse d
by n othi n g i n the hi story of the mora l world .
Who fu lfil the cove n a n t of God, a n d bre ak n ot
their compact ; a n d who join together wha t God
Sale , on the au thori ty of Ba idaw i , explai n s the expre ssi o nWhom He please th,” as those who repe n t .” (p . 67, n . i . chap . i v . )Com pare Zam akhshri (the Kassli af) .
1' Observe , the reward of v i rtu e w i ll n ot be co n fi n ed to a n exact
m ea su re of m an’ s works i t w i l l far exceed hi s de se rts b u t the re
com pe n se of ev i l w i ll be stri ctly proportio n ed to what on e has do n e .
i Koran , chap . x . W . 23-28 .
OE PRESENT‘
ANI ) FUTURE LI FE . 28 5
hath bidden to be joi n ed a n d who fe ar their Lord,
an d dread a n i ll-re cko n i n g a n d who,from a s i n
ce re de si re to please thei r Lordfi < are co n sta n t
amid trials, a n d obse rve prayers a n d give a lms, i n
se cret a n d open ly, ou t of what we have bestowed
o n them an d tu rn a side evil with good for these
is the recompe n se of that Abode , garde n s of
etern al habi ta tio n ,i n to whi ch they Shall e n ter, to
gether with su ch as shall have acted rightly from
amo n g their fathers, the ir wives a n d thei r poste rity;a n d the a n gels Shall go i n u n to them by every
portal, (sayi n g,) Peace be wi th you ! becau se ye
Excelle n t i s the rehave en du red with pati en ce .
ward i n that Abode
E n ou gh has been sa i d to Show the u tter falsehood
of the theory that Moham m e d’s
'
pi ctu re s of fu tu r e
life were all se n su ou s . We wi ll n ow co n clu de this
chapter w i th the followi n g passage from the Koran ,to Show the depth of sp iri tu ality i n I slam , a n d the
p u ri ty of the hope s a n d aspirati o n s o n whi ch i t bases
i ts ru le of life O thou sou l which ar t at re st, re
tu rn u n to thy Lord, plea sed a n d pleasi n g Him ;
e n te r thou amo n g my serva n ts ; a n d e n ter thou
my garde n of feli ci ty . i
Thi s m ay also be tra n slated as“ from a desire to see the face
(Glory) of the i r Lord .
T Kora n ,chap . x i i i . v v. 20 -24 . Com pare throu ghou t Zu m akhshri
(the Kasshaf) .
i Koran , chap . lxxx ix . vv . 27-30 .
286 NOTES .
NOTE I . TO CHAPTER XVI .
The sim i lari ty be tw ee n the Zoroa stria n i dea of a Deli verer an d
Restorer of re l igio n a n d order on earth , an d the Me ssia n ic co n ceptiona m o n g the Jew s i s , to say the least,won derfu l . T he Jews , i t i s certai n ,d er i ved thi s con ceptio n from the Zoroa stri an s ; a n d i n the ir m i sfortu n e sdeve loped i t i n m ore v ivi d term s . Bu t I am stron gly di sposed toth i n k tha t the i dea of a Sosiosch ,
whatever i ts prophe ti c s ig n ifica n ce ,arose am o n g th e Pers ian s also,whe n labou ri n g u n der a fore ig n yokewhe ther of the Sem i ti c Assyri a n s or the Greek Macedo n ian s, i t i sd iffi cu lt to say . The very cou n try i n whi ch the sce n e of h i s appeara n ce i s la id, Ka n g u éde z i n Khorasa n accordi n g to D e Sacy—Can soyaaccord i n g to Doll i n ger ’ s a u thor i ti es
,Show tha t the Persian s , i n the i r
m i sfortu n e s, looked to the East , e specia lly to the Lan d of the Su n’
for ass istan ce a n d deliveran ce .
NOTE II . TO CHAPTER XVI.
Mi lm an h im se lf adm i ts that the tradi tion s regardi n g the a cts an dsayi n gs of Jesu s, whi ch were floati n g abou t am on g the Chri stia ncom m u n i ti e s ,w ere n ot cast i n to the ir pre se n t shape ti ll a lm ost the closeof th e first half of the secon d ce n tu ry . (H i story of Chri stia n i ty , vol . i . p .
Nece ssari ly , therefore , the an ci en t collectors a n d m ode llers ofthe Chri stian Gospe ls, or as Mi lm a n regards them ,
ru de a n d si m pleh i stori a n s, m u st have exerc i se d a di scre tion ary lati tu de i n the receptionof the trad i tio n s . They m u st have deci ded everythi n g on dogm ati cgrou n ds i f a n arrative or scriptu re was, i n i ts ton e a n d su bstan ce ,agreeable to the ir (precon ce i ve d) Vi ew s, they looked u pon d efectiveexter n a l eviden ce as com ple te , i f i t was n ot agreeable , the m ostS u ffici e n t was expla i n ed aw ay as a m i su n dersta n di n g .
” He n ce a
great m a n y addi ti on s were m ade, thou gh u n co n sciou sly,to th e say
i n gs a n d doi n gs of Jesu s . O n thi s po i n t th e te stim on y of Celsu s,
w i th every allowan ce for exaggeratio n,m u st be regarded as co n clu s ive
CHAPTER XVII .
UP to the time of the Islamic Dispensatio n , the
Arab world, properly so-calle d,restricted within the
Pe n i n su la of Arabia a n d some ou tly i n g tracts to the
n orth-west a n d th e n orth - east, had Showed n o S ign s
of i n tellectu al grow th . I f a n y i n d ividu al proved h im
self a philosopher or a scholar,he immedia tely pa s se d
i n to the ra n ks of those amo n g whom le ar n in g a n d
the arts were regarded wi th favou r a n d respect, a n d
adepti n g the n ame of Greek or Persi a n , he forgot h i s
n ati o n al ity .
Poetry, oratory, a n d j u dicial a strology formed
the o n ly favou ri te objects of pu rsu i t amon g the
Arabs of the p e n in su la . The poe tica l competi
tio n s at the a n n u al meeti n gs of Ok adh the system
of govern men t amon g th e tribes,esp e ci ally those of
se ttled hab i ts, half patriarchal, half represe n tative ;a stro n g feeli n g of i n depen de n ce a n d self-reli a n ce
whi ch le d to the cu ltivati o n of th e ar t of eloqu en ce ,ha d comb i n ed to g i ve a be a u tifu l co n s i ste n cy to the
la n gu age of the Poe try w a s th e sou l of
the i r exi ste n ce a n d the fie ry warri ors of th e de ser t
Com p . D e S la n e ’s T i au sl . of I bn —Khallica n , I n trod . p 6 .
THE ARABS BEFORE MOHAMMED . 289
were led on to victory a n d ve n gea n ce by the so n gs
of their wome n .
The persecu tio n s by the Christian emperors of
Byza n tiu m, which drove so many Pagan a n d hereti c
philosophers i n to Persia, brou ght some stray wa ifs
a lso in to Arabia,* b u t little or no i n flu e n ce was
exercised by these new comers on the Arab mi n d .
In twenty years’ time however, throu gh the i n
flu e n ce of Mohammed, the whole scen e w as tran s
formed as by a miracle, a n d all the varied warrin g
elemen ts, which had divided cla n agai n st cla n , were
join ed together a n d we lded firmly .
Raised from the darkest abyss of barbarism,i n
Spired with a firm beli ef i n the Hereafter, which
made all look o n the prese n t as a preparati o n
for the fu tu re, they paid implicit obedi e n ce to that
wo n drou s m a n who had worked this marvellou s
chan ge i n the ir destin y . Nothi n g better exemplifies
the character of those twe n ty years, or the spirit of
freedom preserved i n the teachi n gs of Islam tha n
the followi n g tradi ti on z—Mohammed whi lst d epu ti n g
Sad-ib n -Mu é dh as a delegate to some tribe , a sked
him how he wou ld j u dge betwe en co n te n di n g parti e s
i f they came to him for a de ci sio n . Sad r epli e d ,
First I wi ll look to the Kora n , the n to pre cede n ts
of the Prophet,
a n d lastly rely u po n m y ow n
j u dgme n t .”1‘
Com p . Oels n er, D es Effe ts dc la Rel ig ion dc Moham m ed , p . 1 1 0
T Shahras tan i
2 90 AN AGE OE ACTIVE PRIN CIPLES
I t w as a n ag e of a ctive pri n ciple s whi ch
Mohammed u shered i n . The a n ci en t world, a s r e
pre se n ted by the Greeks of the seve n th cen tu ry,had talke d abou t the divin e an d the hu ma n n atu re
u n ti l they had lost all fa i th i n God or m a n .
>l< The
Byza n tin e, who r eprese n ted the cu ltu re of th e world
a t the time of Mohammed, had u tterly di ssoci ated
practice from spe cu latio n . The ten de n cy of th e
Greek i s a lw ays to di ssever Specu lati on from prae
tice . The n atu re of Chri st w a s more importan t to
h im than the practice of those vi rtu es whi ch he had
i n cu lcated . Mohammed pr ocla imed a n actu al, a real
God to m e n who were d i spu ti n g co n cern i n g Hi s
n atu re a n d Hi s attribu tes . “ Nothi n g cou ld have
ra i sed,
” says the late Professor Mau rice,
“ the
Byzan ti n e Chri sti a n i ty ou t of the abyss i n to whi ch
i t had fa lle n , b u t su ch a voi ce a s that whi ch cam e
from the Arabi an cave . That voi ce proclai m ed
th e Ete r n a l Tru th whi ch Greeks were di sb e l i evi n g .
It pr esen ted tha t Tru th i n th e o n ly form i n whi ch
i t cou ld have bee n practi cal .”-
i'
The gran d ce n tral figu re of Mohammed rises
before ou r View, clothe d i n all th e maje sty of
prOph e t i c gre at n ess . Ki n g,chi ef, magi strate, a n d
spiri tu al gu ide , he r u le s the heart of m e n wi th h i s
he ave n -i n sp i red ge n i u s . Me n gather from all qu ar
te r s of th e globe to l i ste n to hi s wo n derfu l words,
Mau ri ce , Med i aeval Ph i losophy, p . 31 .
1 Ib i d . p . 3 1 .
292 MOHAMMED’S TEACHINGS
a llow time for th e e n e rg i e s awake n ed by Islam to
calm dow n . On Othma n ’s tragical d eath, the S cholar
w a s calle d by the voice of the people to the helm of
the state . Du r in g h i s re tireme n t,Ali had devoted
himse lf to the stu dy of the Ma ster ’ s pre cepts by the
l ight of rea so n . Bu t for hi s a ssassin ation the Moslem
world might then have wit n essed the realisation of
the Prophet’ s teachin gs,i n the a ctu al amalgamati on
of Rea so n with Law ,* a n d i n the im perso n ation of
the first pri n ciples of tru e phi losophy i n positive
a ctio n . The same pass io n ate devotio n to kn owledg e
a n d lear n in g whi ch pre-emin en tly di sti n gu i she d Mo
hammed from all the other moral Teachers of the
world,br eathed i n every word of his d i sciple T
With a liberali ty of mi n d— far beyon d that of the
ag e i n which he lived—w a s j oine d a Si n cere devou t
n e ss of Spirit an d earn estn ess of fa i th T The so n gs,or a s they have been called the lita n ies of Ali
,sta n d
u n su rpassed i n pu rity of di cti o n a n d chaste n ess of
expressio n . They a lso portray a devou t u plooki n g
of th e heart towards th e Sou rce of all good, a n d a n
u n bou n ded fa ith i n Hu man i ty . §
Com p . Oelsn er, p . 1 45 .
TSe e n ote I . to th i s chapter, chap . xvi i .
TThe beau ti fu l ve rse s i n wh i chA li expresse s h is passi o n ate devotion for learn i n g a n d kn ow ledge
,have bee n Cop iou sly qu oted by the
au thor of the Mu sta trif.
These son gs have been pu bli shed i n Eu rop e, w i th a Lati n tra n s
latio n .
G I VE RI SE TO RATIONAL I SM . 293
The ha n d of a n assassi n dashe d all t n e se expe ctati o n s to the grou n d . The a cce ssi o n of th e Om mi ade s,throu gh tr e ache ry a n d i n trigu e , to th e office which
the virtu es of the Khu lafd i -m shi d i n * had san ctified,w as a sever e blow to th e progre ss of kn ow ledge a n d
libe rali sm i n the Islami c world . The i r storm y r e ign s,hara sse d by fearfu l wars, left th e n ati o n l ittle le i su re
to devote to the gen tle r pu rsu i ts of sci e n ce a n d to
thi s,amon g the sove re ign s
, w a s jo i n e d a charac
t er i st i c i dolatry of th e Pa st . D u r i n g the compara
t ive ly lo n g ru le of a ce n tu ry, the Hou se of Om m iya
produ ced o n ly on e m a n devoted to th e cu ltivatio n of
letters a n d thi s m a n w as Ab ft Hfish e m Khal id b e n
Y e z id , th e phi losopher of th e Me rwan ia n fam i ly,”
a s h e h as be e n calle d , who w as set a side from th e
su ccessi o n o n a ccou n t of his le ar n i n g .T
The j ealou s su spi ci o n , an d the u n tir i n g an imosi ty
of th e chi ldr e n of Hi n d a n d Ab -Su fi fi n had obliged
th e desce n da n t s of the Prophet to take refu ge i n
solitu de a n d hu mble pr iva cy .T“ I n the n ight of
mi se ry a n d u n happi n e ss” they followed tru ly a n d
fai thfu lly the pre cepts of the i r an cestor, a n d fou n d
The first fou r su cce ssors of the Prophe t, Abu Bakr , Om ar,
Othm an a n d A li, were so de s ig n ated .
TCom p . Makhaz -i—u lfi m ,p. 48, 49 ; a n d I bn-Kha lli czi n , (De Sla n e
’ stran sl . ) vol . i . p . 48 1 .
TAbu -Su fian was th e father of Moaw iya, the fou n der of the
Om m iade dyn asty ; on the a n im os i ty of the Om m iades ag a i n st the
Fati m i te s, see I bn -Khallican , vol . i i . p . 2 1 7 a n d 2 1 8 .
294 RATIONALISM
consolation i n intellectu al pu rsu its, a n d i n tha t i n tro
spe ction which distin gu ishes n oble hearts .* Their
ardent love of knowledge,their passion ate devotio n
to the cau se of hu ma n i ty— (their spirit looki n g
u pwards far above the literaln ess of common i n ter
pr e tat ion s of the Law)T—their recognitio n of the allembra cin g Sou l of the u n ive rs e I brou ght in to stro n g
re lief all the Spiritu ality a n d expan siven ess of Islam .
The ir adhere n ts,u n de r the in flu e n ce of a deep-seated
feelin g of hatred,were often i n du ced to make u se of
their names i n their own revolts again st the u su rpin g
blest of the Om m iad e s ll recog n ised
i n the fu ln ess 0 t ru e worth when he
w i shed to ca st h i s diadem a t their feet.
S u rrou n ded by m e n whom love , devotio n a n d
There i s a bea u ti fu l story told of on e of them , Im am Abu -l
Hassan Ali A l-Askari , by I bn -Khalliean,vol . i i . p . 2 14 a n d 2 1 5 .
TCom p . I b n -Khallican , vol . i i . p . 2 1 2, a n d the l et Khu tba of the
Nahj -u l-Balaghft t . a n d the tradi tio n s on k n ow ledge i n vol . x iv . of
the Bahar-u l-A n war of Mu l la Bak ir Mu j li si . Im am Jafi r- i -Sadikthu s defi n e s scie n ce The e n lighte n m e n t of the heart i s i ts e sse n ceTru th
,i ts pri n cipa l object ; I n sp i ra tion , i ts g u id e ; Reason ,
i ts
accepte r ; God , i ts i n sp ire r, a n d the words of m an i ts u tterer.
”
(Tar ikh- u l-Hu kam a) .
I See the Had i s-i .Ahli laj . from Im am Ali Mu si ar Reza, reportedby Moffu z z i l-b i n -Om ar Jou ti , Bahar-u l-A n war .
§ For thi s u n co n scio u s u se of the ir n am e s i n revol ts a n d ri si n gsagai n st the hou se of Om m i va , or of Abbas , Si rW . Mu ir pron ou n ce sa bi tter a n d u n de served se n te n ce aga i n st the Fa tim i tes , vol . i . In trod .
xl . n ote .
TI Om ar ~ i bn Abd—u l-Az i z
296 THE MOSLEMS
come distin ctly before the world to fu lfil the high
pu rpose for which Provide n ce has design ed them .
The Sarace n ic race, by their ela stic gen iu s as well
a s by their central positio n —with the hoarded trea
su res of dyi n g Greece a n d Rome on o n e Side an d of
Persia on the other—a n d I n dia a n d Chin a far away
sleepi n g the Sleep of ages—were pre-emine n tly fitted
to become the tea chers of hu ma n ity . Un der the
i n spiri n g in flu e n ces of the great Prophet, who gave
them a code a n d a n ati o n ality, a n d a ssisted by thei r
s overeign s, the Saracen s ca u ght u p the lesso n s of
wi sdom from the Ea st an d theWe st, combi n ed them
wi th the teachi n gs of the Master an d started from
soldiers i n to scholars .”
Un der the Ommi ades,we see the Moslems pa ssin g
throu gh a peri od of probati o n to prepare them for
the gloriou s ta sk th ey were called u po n to u n d er
take . Un der the Abba ssides we see i n them the
r eposi tar i e s of the k n owledge of the world . Every
part of the globe is ra n sacked by the age n ts of the
Caliphs for th e hoarded li terary treasu res of a n ti
qu i ty these ar e brou ght to the capital, the garde n
of ju stice,”
a n d lai d ope n before a n admirin g an d
appreciatin g pu blic . Schools a n d a cademies sprin g
u p on every S ide the great philosophers of the
a n cie n t world are stu di ed a lon g with the Koran .
Ga le n , Dioscorides, The m i st i u s,Aristotle
,Plato are
reve re n ced - eve n more than they ever were amo n g
the i r ow n pe ople . The sovereig n s themselve s a ssist
UNDER THE ABBASS I DES . 29 7
i n literary meeti n gs an d philosophi cal di squ i siti o n s .
For the first time i n the hi story of hu ma n i ty,a
religi ou s a n d au tocrati c govern me n t is observed to
a lly itself with philosophy,preparin g a n d partaki n g
i n its tri u mphs . *
Every city i n the empire sou ght to ou trival the
other i n the c u ltivati o n of the ar ts a n d scie n ces .
Every govern or a n d provi n cial chi ef tri ed to e m u
late the sovereign . From every part of the globe
stu de n ts a n d scholars flocked to Cordova , to Bagd ad , an d to Ca iro, to liste n to the words of the
Sarace n i c s ages . Me n who became i n after life the
heads of the Christia n Chu rch, dra n k a t the fou n
tai n of Moham m e d .T An d whe n the hou se of
Abbas lost i ts hold on the Empire of the East, the
chi e fs who Spra n g u p to occu py their place, e n d ea
vou re d to rival the Caliphs i n the ir patron age of
sci e n ce an d learn i n g . Th e Bu y id e , the Sam a n id c,
th e Gha z n av i d e i n the East, the Fatimi te a n d the
Ayu bi te i n the West, the Moori sh sovere ig n s i n
Spa i n , o u tvied each other i n th e cu ltiva tion of arts
a n d letters . From the shores of the Atla n ti c e a st
ward to the In dia n Ocean , far away even to the
Pacific, resou n ded the voi ce of Phi losophy a n d
Lear n i n g, u n der Moslem g u ida n ce a n d Moslem i n spi
rat ion .T Thi s glorio u s peri od lasted ti ll the close of
A n observation of M . Oels n er, p . 1 37 .
T Like Gerbert afterwards Pope Sylvester II .
i; The B iographica l D i ctio n arie s of I b n -Kote i ba (Ki tzi b-u l
298 FATALISM AND FREEWILL
the 1 5 th a n d the comme n cemen t of the l 6th ce n tu ry
of the Christia n e ra . Then forgetti n g the precepts
of the Master,the Moslems sa n k to the leve l of the
barbarou s hordes who flooded Moslem Asia, a n d
the polytheistic races of co n qu ered la n ds, a n d thu s
adopted a hard n ess of heart, a literal n ess of fa i th,an d a n abject su perstitiou s tu rn of min d, en tirely
co n trary to the teachi n gs of Mohammed .
The high posi tio n a ssig n ed by the Prophet to ‘
scie n ce a n d philosophy, a n d the devotio n of h i s early
descen da n ts to every bra n ch of i n tellectu al pu rsu it
had led to the rapid developme n t of in tellectu al
liberty amo n g the Moslems .
On e of the most disti n gu ishin g characteristics of
the Kora n is the cu ri ou s,an d to a su perficia l ob
server in co n sisten t ma n n er,i n which it combin es th e
existen ce of a Divi n e Wi ll— (which n ot o n ly orders
all thin gs, b u t whi ch acts dire ctly u po n m e n a n d
addresses i tself to the Spri n gs of thou ght i n them )with the assertio n of a Free Age n cy i n m a n a n d the
liberty of i n tellect . It seems i n co n si ste n t a t first
Sight that m a n shou ld be ju dged by h i s works— a
doctrin e whi ch forms the fou n dati o n of Islami c
morali ty— i f all h i s a cti o n s are ru led by a n all
powerfu l Will . The earn est fa i th of Mohammed i n
a n active,ever-livi n g Prin ciple
,j oi n ed to h i s tru st i n
Maar if), of I bn Khalli can an d of Nowayr i , a n d the B ibliographi ca lLexi con of Haj i Khalifa (Kashf-u z -Zu n u n ) prove the extrem e
ferti li ty of the Moslem ge n i u s .
30 0 MOSLEM BELIEF
a s wedded to the Pa st as their rival brothe rs of
the West, have from the earliest times divide d the
dogma s of thei r religio n in to fu n dame n tal a n d n on
fu n damen tal .* The former i n clu de the poin ts of
faith which the believer is bou n d to a ccept,su ch
a s belief i n the existen ce of a Deity , a se n se of
fu tu re accou n tability, etc . ; the latter speci fy the
du ties whi ch eman ate from su ch b e li efs . These
fu n damen tal dogmas—perhaps properly so calle d,a s
they fu rn ish the chief ba si s for the co n stru cti o n of
every system of positive morali ty,—were early di sso
c iat e d from tru e philosophy a n d relegated to th e
domain s of dogmati c theology ; they n ow fu rn i shed
the prin cipal battle-grou n d for the revive d Ratio n al
i sm in Islam . On e s ectio n held, tha t all these
fu n damen tal poin ts of fa i th were a s m u ch withi n the
cogniza n ce of Rea son a s the du ti es arisi n g from
them a n other as stro n gly a sserted that its provi n ce
was co n fin ed to the n on -fu n damen tal poi n tS,Twhi lst
others held i n termediate n oti o n s .
O n the qu esti o n of free-wi ll an d predesti n ati o n ,three m e n ,
n amed Mfibad al Joh n i , Gilan of Dama s
cu s, a n d Eu n as al Aswar i had already broke n away
from the tradi tio n s of the Pa st an d a ck n owledged
the absolu te free-age n cy of m a n .T This B id e t or
h eresy, as the orthodox Shahrastan i calls it, was
Usfi l an d F u ru (li t . roots an d bran che s) .
T Shahrasté n i , throu gho u t e specially pp . 28 , 29 .
T‘ Shahrastan i , p . 1 7 .
REGARD I NG FREE -WILL . 30 1
occasi o n ed by the decide d prede sti n aria n i sm of
Jahm b e n Safw ti n fi< who i n the absolu te de n ial of
fre e -wi ll to m an almost rivalled Calvi n,an d whose
Opi n io n s fou n d mu ch favou r wi th th e moody
b igots who occu pi e d th e office of Caliphs . I m
mediate ly afte r came Wasi l b e n Ata, a di sciple of
Im am Hassa n al-Basri (of Ba s sora).T The maste r
himself w as edu cated i n the school of the ear ly
descen dan ts of the Prophet,phi losophers of the
fami ly of Mohamm ed,
”a s they have bee n so n obly
d e si g n at ed ,T a n d the liberality of h i s Views w as
n atu rally i n remarkable con trast to those of h is
ag e . Wasi l had i m bibed kn owledge from the sam e
sou rce ;§ b u t he soon separated from Hassan on a
qu estion of religi ou s dogm a, whi ch Shewed h i s
i m pu lsive n atu re , a n d fou n ded a school of hi s ow n .“Hi s di sciple s have from thi s time bee n called Ma ta.
z a la , Separati sts or Se e e d ersfl He soon formu late d
the pri n ciples whi ch co n stitu ted the base s of hi s
differe n ce from th e other exi sti n g schools . Hi s
impu lsiven e ss Ofte n led him ,like Lu ther, to overstep
Com p . Mu n k,Méla n ges d e Ph ilosoph i e Ju ive e t Arabe , p . 31 0 .
TVVasi l was born i n the year 8 0 of the Hej ira (699 -7 0 0 AC ), a n dd ied 1 31 A.H . (748-749 ) Com p . Mu n k
,p . 3 1 1 .
TMakhaz - i-u l ii m (En g . Tra n sl . ) p . 39 .
O n the op i n io n s e n tertai n ed by the early Fatim i tes, who m os tprobably reflected th e bel ief of Moham m ed a n d A li
,the trad i t io n
reported by Eu n as be n Ek t i n ,i n the chapter on Prov ide n ce a n d Free
w i l l of the Bahar-u l-A n wft r, th rows co n sid erable l ight .Shahrastan i , pp . 1 7 an d 3 1 . i i Ib id . 29 a n d 3 0 .
8 0 2 THE MUTAZALAS .
the bou n ds of reaso n i n his a n tago n ism again st i n te l
lectu al tyra n n y ; yet the ge n eral rationali sm which
d i sti n gu ished hi s school from every other brou ght
the stro n ge st a n d mos t libera l mi n ds to his side .*
Un der their i n flu e n ce,the pri n ciples of logic a n d
philosophy were brou ght to be ar on the precepts of
religi o n,thu s givin g ri se to a n especial s cie n ce— the
scien ce of theological ph i lOSOphy .T
The Mu tazala s u n a n imou sly hold, says Shah
ra stan i,that God is E t ern al ; a n d that Etern i ty
i s the pecu liar property of His essen ce b u t they
den y the exi sten ce of a n y etern al a ttrib u te s (as d i s
tin ct from His n atu re) . For they say , He i s
om n iscie n t as to Hi s n atu re Livin g a s to Hi s
n atu re ;Almighty as toHi s n atu re; b u t n ot throu gh
a n y k n owledge, power or life existin g i n Him a s
etern al a ttribu tes for k n owledge,power a n d l ife
Abu ’l-Hassa n A li a t Mu sou d i , (the au thor of the Zlfaxrawej -u dhDheheb, F i e lds of Gold), “ Im am , h i storia n , an d doctor
,
”was a
Mu taza la . The au thor of the Hab ib-u s-S iyar i s said to havebelon ged to the sam e school .
T I lm -u l-Kalam . Shahrastan i , p . 1 8 ; Mu n k , pp . 31 1 , 31 2 , 320 ,
322 ; Re n a n ,Averroe s e t l’A verrO I sm e
,p . 79 -8 1 ; Schm blders, Essa i
s u r les Ecole s ph i losophiqu e s che z les A rabe s, pp . 1 38 , 1 39 . Pro
légom é n es d’
I b n -Khaldou n (D e Slan e’s Tran sl . ) pt . i i i . p . 48 . I
qu i te agree w i th G ibbo n tha t a ph i losophi ca l theologian i s a ce n
tau r , or as they say i n the East of the fabu lou s bi rd , n a hd , a be i n gMc
’
i ld m -u Z—fi sm , m aj ht‘
t t aj -j i sm ,n am e k n ow n bu t ex i ste n ce n ot ;”
yet I th i n k a system of phi losophy m ay exi st whi ch shou ld com b i n ephi losophy a n d the tru e pri n c iple s of re l ig io n w i thou t a n y i n con
g ru l ty .
304 THE S I FATI YAS .
he who works evil deserves pu nishment ; a n d this,they say, is co n so n a n t with re ason .
>l< The Mu ta
zala s also say that all k n owledge is a ttaine d
throu gh reaso n , an d mu st necessarily be so ob
ta i n e d . They hold that the cog n ition of good an d
evil i s also within the provin ce of rea son that n o
thi n g is k n own to be wro n g or right u ntil reason
has e n lighte n ed u s as to the d istin ctio n a n d tha t
tha n kfu l n ess for the blessin gs of the Benefa ctor is
made obligatory by Rea son , even before the pro
m u lg a t ion of a n y law on the
The Mu tazala s u n a n imou sly mai n tain that m a n
ha s perfect freed om is the au thor of his actio n s both
good a n d evil,a n d deserves reward a n d pu n ishmen t
hereafter accord i n g ly .T
The Si fatiyas (the At tr ib u t ists) who represen t the
old patristic n otio n s i n the most stereotyped form,
are the direct a n titheses of the Mu tazalas . The
Ashariyas (an ofl’
shoot of the S ifati te schools, followers
of Ab u -l-Ha ssa n Ali -al-Ashari) with Slight variatio n s
u phold the doctrin es of the paren t stock main tain i n g
that God possesses etern al attribu tes, that we ca n n ot
a rrive at the k n owledge of Hi s exi ste n ce by Rea son ;that Reason can n ot e n able u s to di sti n gu i sh right
from wron g ; that the Divi n e ordi n a n ces are etern al
that God ca n be beheld ; a n d that m a n has power
Shahrastan i .
T Ibid . p . 29 Mu n k, Melan ge s de I ’ll i lOSOphie Ju i ve e t Arahe,
RAT I ONALI STS I N I SLAM . 30 5
over hi s evil deeds alo n e, all good actio n s com i n g
from God .
>l< The Jabar iyas, howeve r, de n y eve ry
fr e edom to m a n , holdi n g that all hu man actio n s arethe resu lt of Divine w ill .T
Agai n st these a n thropomorphi c doctri n es, as
the Mu tazalas wi th tru th design ated them,the ir
efforts were ma i n ly di recte d ; a n d n atu rally they
calle d themselves th e u pholders of the u n ity an d
ju sti ce of GOd .T The Mu tazalas are thu s, d e cided
Ratio n ali sts, on a ccou n t of the grea t predomi n a n ce
they allow to Reaso n , i n every qu e sti on regardi n gthe progress of m an they are Uti l itar ian s, i n adopt ~
i n g the doctri n e of ge n eral u se fu ln ess a n d th e pro
moti on of the happi n e ss of the ma n y,as the cr i te rio n
of right an d wro n g th ey are Evolu tion i sts, i n regard
i n g every law that regu lates the mu tu al relatio n s of
Shahrastan i , p . 66 ; Mu n k,Mélan ges d e Phi l . Ju ive et Arabe ,
pp. 324-326 .
TIt i s cu ri ou s that all these sects base the tru th of the ir argu m e n tson the Kora n a n d the Ahad i s (plr . of Hadi s, trad i tio n s). Bu t i t i s
probable tha t the m oderate Mu tazalas repre se n ted the vi ews of Alia n d the m ost li bera l a n d learn ed of h i s e arly desce n da n ts , if n ot of
Moham m ed h im se lf. The doctr i n e s of the Fa tim i te s have a cu rio u sa n d a m ost wo n derfu l an a logy, i n m a n y po i n ts, to those of the Mn ta
zalas . Com pare the 1 st Khu tbaof the Nahj - u l-Balaghat , the chapte r
on Freewi ll a n d Provi de n ce, i n the Bahar- u l-A n war , a n d othe r tradi
t 10 n s (ahad i s) i n the sam e w ork on“ the base s of k n owledge . It
i s w e ll-kn ow n that the chi ef doctors of the Mu ta z a li te school were
e du cated u n der the Fa ti m i te s .
t A shab-u l-Adl wat tau h id ; Shahrastan i , pp . 29,30 , e t seq. ;Mu n k ,
p . 31 1 .
306 TRIUMPH or PATRI STICISM.
h u man bein gs, as the resu lt an d produ ct of a process
of developmen t . I n their ideas of the lon g a n tiqu ity
of m an o n earth, they occu py a'
va n tage grou nd in
relation to the natu ral philosophers of the modern
world .* That gra n d collection of Mu taz ali te ideas
—which passes u nder the n ame of Tu hfa t-u l
Akhwdn -a s-Scfd, Gifts of the Brothers of Pu rity,—i n the pu rity of its se n time n ts, its fervent love ofhu manity, its earnest faith in the progress of m an
,
a n d in its u niversal charity embracing even the bru te
creation in its fold, is a m asterpiece of its ki n d -
T
Their doctrin es were adopted by Abdu llah-al
Mamdu , the gra n dest a n d most li beral-m i n ded of
the Saracenic sovereigns, a n d on e of the most far
seein g mon archs of an y ag e . The aim of his life,a n d also of that of his two su ccessors, Motassem an d
Vfithek , was to infu se thi s ratio n alistic Spirit which
a n imated them an d a portio n of their su bjects, i n to
the whole Moslem world . Un fortu n ately for Islam
it was fou nd,as a Western hi storia n r em ark s
,Tthat
the Ju r i sts of Bagdad were more powerfu l tha n the
Caliphs a n d the triu mph of patristicism u nder Mu
They deri ved thi s n otion from aHad is reported from Ali ,Bahfiru l-A n war, chapter on Creation .
t Com pare Mu n k,p . 329 .
T Sédi llot, Hi st . d es Arabe s, p . 1 8 7 . Com o. also Oelsn er, desEfi
’
ets d e la Re ligio n de Moham m ed, an d von Ham m er, Galeri ebiograph iqu e d es sou verai n s Mahom é tan s .
30 8 THE SUNN I S .
division . These schools take their n ame from fou r
great ju ri sco n su lts of the (Su n n i te ) Moslem w orld .
>I<
The Shfife i te s , the Malek i te s, a n d the Ha n balites are
strict Si fat iyas a n d exceedin gly anthr opomorphi c in
their view s regardi n g the attribu tes of the De i ty,a n d u n swervi n gly adhe re to every pri n ciple a n d tra
ditio n of the past . The Ha n ifi te s,
admi tti n g the
traditio n s,leave the in terpre tati o n to in dividu al j u dg
me n t a n d a n alogy . Thu s the Shi i te Akhbar i an d the
Su n n ite Ha n ifi meet o n commo n grou n ds
The wo n derfu l mysti ci sm which forms the life a n d
sou l of modern Pers ian literatu re,ow e S i t s di sti n ct
origi n to the esoteric S ign ifica n ce attached by a n
importa n t secti o n of th e Moslems to the words of
the Kora n . The elevated feeli n g of Divi n e Pe rva
sio n w ith which Mohamme d ofte n spoke the depth
of ferve n t a n d ecstatic raptu re whi ch characte rised
hi s d evot ion ,T co n stitu ted the chief ba sis on wh i ch
Moslem mysticism w as fou n ded . Du ri n g the li fe
time of the Prophet, whe n the performan ce of du ties
Abfi -Ha n i fa—an -Nom an be n Thab’i t (699 -769 A . C . ) Moham m e dben Idri s as-Shafe i ( 767-8 1 9 A .o. ) Malek be n A n s (7 1 2-79 5 A .o. )
a n d Ahm ed be n Han bal (78 5 -8 5 4 A . C . ) Vi d . Shahrastan i , p .
1 60,1 6 1 Séd i llot, Hi stoi re des Arabe s, p . 40 3, 40 4 . Com p . also the
n ote from I b n Khald f m , i n D e S lan e ’s Tra n sl . of I bn Khallican ,In trod . p . xxv i .
TThe tradi ti on s i n the Mi shké t, a n d the Sahih of Bu khari throw“co n siderable l ight on the v i ew s of Moham m ed regardi n g D i vi n e pervasion , e specially th e on e reported by Ahh Mu sa-al-Ashari . See
a ls o the first Khu thd of the Nabj -u l-Balai ghat .
MOSLEM MYST I CISM . 30 9
was regarde d before specu lation, there was little
scope for the fu ll deve lopmen t of the contemplative
a n d mysti cal elemen t i n Islam .
Thi s mysti cal a n d con templative elemen t has ex
i ste d i n all re ligi o n s,a n d amo n g every people . AS
ou r battles, moral a n d physi cal, grow fewer, we look
u po n this character— the character of qu i et con
t em plat ion— as the tru e type of hu ma n i ty . Bu t
y e t’
i t w i ll vary with th e pe cu liari ties of the i n d ivi
d u al a n d the race, a n d accordi n g to their te n den cy
to co n fou n d th e abstract with the con crete . The
Hi n du looks to the absorpti o n of the spe cial i n the
In fin i te , as the cu lmin ati o n of happi n ess ; a n d to
attai n this e n d , he rem ai n s immoveable i n o n e spot,a n d resig n s himself to comple te apathy i
l< The
se n se of i n fin i ty make s i t difficu lt for h im to d i s
t i n g u i sh be twe e n th e pri e st a n d the God, or himself
a n d the God, objective ly ; a n d eve n tu ally betwe en
the De ity a n d the d ifl’
er e n t forms of n atu re i n whi ch
he i s su pposed to be man ifested . Gradu ally th is
tra i n of co n templati on leads to the formal co n clu sio n ,
a s appears from the Bhag avad Gita, that Creator a n d
Creati o n are iden ti cal . W e see thu s how cu r i ou sly
pa n theism approaches i n its extreme ma n ife station
to fe t i shi sm,whi ch pre ceded every other idea of the
D ivin i ty . I n i t s i n fa n cy th e hu ma n mi n d k n ow s n o
Spiri tu al se n time n t b u t on e of u n mixed te rror . The
Com p .Dozy
,He t Islam i sm e , chapter on Su fi ism .
31 0 MOSLEM MYS 'I‘
I CI SM .
primeval forests which the han d of m a n has n ot ye t
tou ched,the stu pe n dou s m ou n tai n s loomi n g i n the
distan ce,the dark n ess of the n ight
, w ith the grim
weird shapes whi ch hover over it the howlin gs of
the win d throu gh the forest tops, all in spi re fear a n d
aw e i n the infan t mind of m an . He worships every
material object he sees more powerfu l or more aw e
s triki n g tha n himself or his immediate su r rou n di n gs .
Gradu ally he comes to attach a n ideali ty to all the se
obje cts of Natu re a n d thi n ks these i dealities worthy
of adorati o n . I n process of time all these separate
idealiti es m erge i n on e u n iversal all-embracin g
Ideali ty . Feti shism is o n ly the first step to Mo n o
theism an d Pan thei sm,a n d each of the se m erges
i n to on e a n other i n their extremes . The early Zoro
a str i an w as very little of the pa n theist . Zervan ism
was a growth of later ages .
Neoplaton i sm , itself the chi ld of Ea stern thou ght,had impre ssed its character on Christi a n i ty, a n d
probably given ris e to the Eu charistic idea . Wi th
the excepti o n of Johan n es Scotu s, the m ysti cs of
Eu rope ’ du rin g the m iddle ages fou ght o n ly on this
grou n d . Mysti ci sm properly so-called, wi th its
higher yearn in g after the In fi n ite, was u shered i n
by th e Moslems, as we shall hereafter see .
The ide a amo n g the nobler mi n ds, that there was a
d e eper a n d more i n ward se n se i n the words of the
Koran,arose not from the wish to escape from the
rigou r of texts a n d dogma s, b u t from a profou n d
312 MOSLEM MYSTICISM .
chiefly aga i n st Ab Ali I b n Sin a (Avicen n a) a n d his
per ipate t i sm fl< Al-Gaz z ali ’s in flu en ce served greatly
to promote the di ffu si on of Su fiism amon g the
Ea stern Moslems a n d he has been j u stly called the
Plato of the Moham m eda n s .T A n oble train followed
i n h i s footsteps . Idealistic philosophy was embraced
by the greatest i n tellects of the Mohammeda n East .
The Mou lan a Je lal-u d -d i n of Rdm (Tu rkey), whose
Mas n av i is adored by the Su fi, Sa n ai'
whom Je lfil
u d -d i n himself has called his su pe r ior,TFarid-u d -d i n
Attar Shams-u d -d i n Hafiz Khakan'
i,the moralist
Sadi, the roman cer Nizam’
i,— all belo n ged to this
school ; an d some of the S u fi s even lay claim to the
Homer of Persia,Firdou si , a s on e of the ir school .
Thei r arg ume n ts, however, for thu s claimi n g the
greatest poet of Iran , an d on e of the greatest of the
w orld, are based o n b u t Sle n der fou n dati o n s . § Hi s
min d w as of a Stern er type ; a n d , as a n atu ral cou se
qu e n ce , the Ideali sm whi ch pervades his writin gs is
I u se a n expressive word whi ch i s n ow com i n g i n to ge n eral u se ,to sign i fy a school of ph i losophy a n alogou s to the em pi ri cal school ofAri stotle .
TNafahat-u l-U n s, &c . (Live s of the Su fi s), (pu bli shed/
i n Calcu tta,E n gl i sh I n trodu cti o n , p . 1 7, n ote .
T Ni m jfi sh i karda-am m a n n im —kham , az Haki m -i-Ghaz n aw i
(Sa n a i ) b i sh n ou tam am .
”Of A ttar, agai n , he speaks thu s A ttar
rfi h bad wa Sa n ai da chashm -fi , m a az pi ay San ai'
wa A ttaram edaim ,
” Li ve s,p . 698 .
O n the s tre n gth of the follow i n g verse , the Su fis claim Fi rdou sias on e of thei r body Jehan r
'i . bu lan di wa pasti tu i , n adan am chi ihar che hasti t u i . ”
di ffere n t from the vagu e mysti ci sm of th e Su fi
school . For certain poetic mi n ds,mysticism has
immen se charms . Bu t for i n te llects cast i n the
mo u ld of stern Rea son , it i s too dre amy ever to be
come a favou rite doctri n e . Hen ce the aversi o n of
Ab Ali I b n S i n a (Avi ce n n a), a n d of Khaja Nasir
u d -d i n of Td s,—the greate st Moslem a stro n omer of
the 13th cen tu ry— to Su fi i sm .
The Su fis base th e practi ce of morality e n tire ly on
Love, an d abhor the ide a of fe ar as th e origi n of
du ti e s . On e of them, on bei n g a sked, who w ere b ad ,a n sw ered, Those who serve God ou t of fear of
pu n i shme n t or hope of reward .
’From what m ot ive
‘ the n do you serve God ?’a sked the i n terrogator .
Ou t of Love to Him ,
’ sai d the Su fi, basi n g hi s r eply
on th e mysti c traditi o n han ded down from Moham m ed,that God divided Love i n to a hu n dred par ts, n i n e ty
n i n e of whi ch He reserved for Himse lf, a n d allotted
o n e to ma n ki n d a n d that all the love whi ch exi sts
i n the wor ld i s d u e to that o n e part ; that throu gh
that alo n e hu m a n bei n gs love each other a n d that
m an i s n e are st to God whe n hi s sou l i s wrapt
i n the devoti o n s of Un iversal Love . >l<
The pu re,w e m ay say th e exalted side of thi s
beau tifu l Ide ali sm,e n tirely fou n ded on th e te achi n g
of Mohamm ed, has fu rn i shed glor i ou s theme s to the
poets of Islam . The idylls of that Un ive rsal Divi n e
Rou z at-u r-Rihah i n Lives of the S u fi s .
314 MOSLEM MYSTICISM .
Love,which pervades Natu re from the lowest type
of Creation to the Highest, su n g i n sweet strain s an d
raptu rou s words by Je lal-u d -d i n , Sa n a'
i a n d Attar are
regarded by the S u fis wi th a ve n eration o n ly le ss
tha n that e n tertai n ed for the Koran ; an d sometimes
w ith an equ al feeli n g of respect .
Su fiism i n the Mohammedan world , -like its
cou n terpart in Christe n dom,—has
,i n i t s practical
operati on , however, been produ ctive of m a n y mis
chi evou s resu lts . I n perfectly well-attu n ed mi n ds,
m ysticism takes the form of a n oble type of ideali sti c
phi losophy ; b u t the gen erality of ma n ki n d ar e more
likely to u n hi n ge their bra i n s by bu syi n g themselves
w ith the mysteries of the Divi n e Essen ce, an d ou r
relatio n to it . Every ig n ora n t a n d idle specime n of
hu ma n ity who, despisi n g real kn owledge, aba n do n ed
the fields of tru e phi losophy, a n d betook himself to
the d oma i n s of mysti cism,wou ld thu s s e t himse lf u p
a s on e of the Ahl-i -m diyfa t,“ people of k n owledge .”
An d that thi s actu ally occu rred i n the time of
Ga z z ali , we see by his bi tter complain t, that thi n gs
had come to su ch a pass that hu sban dmen we re
leavi n g their tillage a n d claimin g the privileges of
the advan ced .
” I n fact,the greatest objecti o n to
vu lgar mysti ci sm,whether i n Islam or i n Chri sten
d om ,is that
,being i n itself n o religi o n , whe rever it
prevails it u nsettles the m in d a n d weake n s the
Com pare Li ves of the S u fis, En g . In trod . pp . 1 7,1 8 .
316 NOTE .
sou l of n atu re,* directed at te n ti o n t o the gre at
problem of the co n n ectio n betwe e n the worlds of
m a tter a n d of m i n d The con cepti on of a n all
pervadi n g sp i ri t which Sleeps i n the sto n e,dreams
i n the a n imal,a n d wakes i n the m an ,
’ the be li e f
that the hidd e n Vi tal pr i n ciple whi ch produ ce s the
vari e d form of orga n i sati o n i s b u t the thri ll of
the Div i n e Esse n ce that i s pr ese n t i n them all,
”T
thi s be li e f reappeared i n Chri stian i ty a s a fa i n t echo
of the d eep mysti cism whi ch pervades Islam .
NOTE I . TO CHAPTER XVII .
The m u lti tu de of au the n ti c tradi ti on s which have com e dow n so
u s from Moham m ed a n d A li , regardi n g the sacred characte r of learni n g a n d le ar n ed m e n
,prove the valu e they a ttached to i n te llectu a l
a tta i n m e n ts . All the se tradi tion s are pre serve d fa i thfu lly i n B u khari
(Al-Ka stalan i’
s com m e n ted ed . vol . i . p . i n Jam a i -T irm i z i (a
carefu l a n d cr i ti cal collectio n of the tradi tio n al sayi n gs ofMoham m ed)p . 436 i n the K i tab- u l -Mu statrif (an i n valu able work on Moslempracti cal ph i losophy) chap . i v . i n the M i shkat, &c. The chapteri n the Mu sta trif i s u n qu e stio n ably the m ost com prehe n si ve . A tra
d i tio n reporte d i n th e Tarikh-u l-Hu k am a,
“ Hi story of the Phi losophers” (tran slated i n to Pe rsia n from the Arabi c of Sham s -u d-D i n
The Persi an poe t says Jan alam go-em -ash g ar rabt j a n
dan am ba- ta n , d ar d i l-i -har zarra ham p i n han wa-ham paidasti ,”
I wou ld have sa id He was th e Sou l of the U n iverse (i f I had kn ow nthe re la tion of th e hu m an sou l to the body), for He i s prese n t an d
h idde n i n the bosom of every atom ,
”Abu l-Kasim Ki n darask i , (Atesh
Kedah , p .
TLecky, H i st . of Ration ali sm ,vol . i . p . 374 .
NOTE . 31 7
Moham m ed-al-Su harward i , i n the re ign ofAkbar the Grea t) , thr ow sa n extraordin ary light on the m ea n i n g
, wh ich Moham m ed, m ostprobably, attached to the word prophe t,
”a n d h is extrem e ve n era
ti o n for lear n i n g . Am r ib n -al-As hav in g retu rn ed from Egypt, the
Prophet asked h im to recou n t the extraordi n ary thi n gs h e had see nthere . Am r an swered that on e of th e thi n gs whi ch s tr u ck him m ostwas the s ight of a m u lti tu de of m e n flock i n g i n to a place where theyread the books of som e on e whom they called Ari stotle . Moham m edreplied that h e had heard A ri stotle was a prophe t , a n d added
,m et
w a lldh d lam o bi s-sawdb, bu t God kn ow s be st .” Accord i n g toa n other tradi tion ,
reported on the au thori ty of Mu ad z -i bn -Jabal ,Moham m ed declare s, I n stru ct i n k n ow ledge , beca u se he who i n stru ctsfears God who speaks of i t prai se s the Lord who di spu tes abou ti t e n gage s i n holy warfare who seeks i t
,adore s God ; who
spreads i t , d i spe n se s alm s to the ign oran t an d w ho possesse s i tatta i n s the ve n eration a n d good-w i ll of all . K n owledge e n ables i tsposse ssor to di st i n gu i sh wha t i s forb i dde n from what i s n ot i t
l ights the way to heave n i t i s ou r fri en d i n the de sert , ou r soci e tyi n sol i tu de ou r com pan i on w he n far away from ou r hom es i t
gu ide s u s to happi n e ss i t su stai n s u s i n m i sery i t ra i se s u s i n theestim a tion of frie n ds ; i t serve s as an arm ou r agai n st ou r e n em i es .W i th kn ow ledge the servan t of God ri se s to the he ights of goodn ess , an d to a n oble posi tio n associates w i th sovere ign s i n thi sworld an d attai n s to the perfection of happ i n ess i n the n ext . Thestu dy of k n owledge a n d le tters i s equ al to fasti n g i ts co n versation ,teachi n g an d i n stru ction are equ al to praye rs, &c . (Ki tab-u lMu sta tri f, chap . i v . qu oted a lso w i th a sl ight variatio n by the au thorof the Kashf-u z -Zu n an ,
.Héj i Khal ifa , Fle u g e l’s ed . p . Noth i n gcan be m ore e loqu e n t an d Spir i ted tha n thi s beau ti fu l e u logi u m on
learn i n g . No wo n der that the followers of th i s n oble-hearted son of
th e de sert, as lon g as they observed the spi ri t of h is teach i n gs , w ere
the m asters of the i n tellectu al world . Com p . als o the Had i ses i n
the M ishkat .
CHAPTER XVIII .
THE political chara cter of Islam has been a su b
j ce t of gross misrepresen tation by the followers of
the rival creeds . Politically Islam co n ferred more
ben efits on man kin d in the few years which its
Fou n der spent at Medi n a, than cen tu ries of vagu e
theorizin g by the followers of the Portico or the
Academy, or by the ha n gers-ou i n the a n terooms of
the Ju risco n su lts of Rome . It gave a code to the
people a n d a co n stitu tio n to the State, en forced by
the sa n ctio n s of religion . It ‘limited taxatio n ; it
made m e n equ al i n the eye of the law it co n secrated
the prin ciples of self-govern me n t. It established a
co n trol over the sovereign power by re n derin g the
e xecu tive au thority su bordin ate to the law,-a law
based u po n relig i ou s sa n ctio n s a n d moral obliga
tions . The excellen ce a n d effective n ess of each of
these prin ciples,” says Urqu hart, (each capable
of immortalizin g i ts fou n der) gave valu e to the
rest ; a n d all combin ed e n dowed the system which
they formed, with a force a n d e n ergy exceedin g
those of a n y other political system . Wi thin the
li fetime of a m an,thou gh i n the ha n d s of a popu
320 I SLAM CONSECRATES POLITI CAL LIBERTY.
the Moslems as the foreru n n ers of thei r salvation .
So w i th othe r co u n tr i e s . Nati o n s,whi ch ti ll the n
h ad slu mber ed w rapt i n the apathy of wretched
n e ss,woke i n t o n ew life a n d n ew e n e rgy
,u n der the
a u spi ce s of the Prophet of Arab i a . The pe ople
eve rywhe re re ce ived the Moslems a s their liberators .
Wherever a n y re si stan ce w as offered, i t was by the
pr i e sthood a n d the aristocracy .
A n exami n ati o n of the con di ti o n of the Moslems
u n de r the first fou r Caliphs, bri n gs to View a popu lar
gover n me n t based on a defin i te code, a n d ad
m i n i stered by elective chiefs with limited
The chi efs of the State were co n trolle d by pu blic
Op i n io n,
a n d were ope n to the ce n su res of their
me an est su bjects . Othman was obliged to re n der
every d ay an accou n t of t h e p u blic mo n ey a n d Ali
appe ared before the ordi n ary tr ibu n als of ju sti ce as
a ccu ser of a Chri st ian thief. The deci sio n s of the
j u dges were su preme ; a n d the early Caliphs cou l d
n ot a ssu me the powe r (as late r u su rp e rs d i d) of
pardo n i n g those whom the regu lar tribu n als had
co n dem n e d . The law w a s the same for the -poor a s
for the ri ch ; for the m a n i n power a s for the
labou r e r i n the fi e ld .T
The importa n ce whi ch Islam attache s to the du ti es
of s overeign s toward thei r su bjects, a n d the man n er
Oe ls n er , p . 90 .
T Com p . the accou n t of Jabala’ s i n tervi ew wi th Om ar,Abu lfeda,
(Re i sk e’
s Ed . ) vol . i . p . 23 9 ; Cau ssi n de Perceval, Vol . i i i .pp . 5 0 6- 5 1 1 .
I SLAM CONSECRATES POLIT I CAL LIBERTY . 321
i n which it promotes the freedom a n d equ ali ty of
the people , a n d protects them agai n st the e n croach
me n t of the i r ru lers,i s Shown i n the eru dite work
of th e celebrated pu bli ci st,Imam Fakhr -u d -D i n
Raz i (of Raghe s, Rai ), on the Reciprocal Rights of
Sovereign s an d S u bjects, writte n barely more t han a
hu n dred years after the time of the Proph e t .
>l<
The laws of the Moslems based on equ i table pri n
c iple s a n d remarkable for their simpli ci ty a n d pre
c i s ion , d i d n ot dema n d a n obedi en ce ei ther difficu lt to
ren der or i n compatible wi th the i n telligen ce of m a n
kin d .
“ A n d if,
” says M . Oe ls n e r, the law whi ch
regu lates the right of su ccession be regarded a s
the m ost importa n t in stitu ti o n for the i n tern al
peace a n d welfare of society, to the Moslems mu st
be con ce ded the ho n ou r of possessin g a code s u r
passin g i n this re spect all a n ci e n t le g islat ion .
”T
Those co u n tries where th e Moslems establi shed
themse lves rema i n ed exempt from the d isa strou s
co n sequ en ces of the fe u dal syste m a n d the feu dal
code . Adm i tti n g n o privi lege , n o caste, —the i r legi s
lati o n produ ced two gra n d resu lts— that of freei n g the
soil from facti tiou s b u rde n s imposed by barbar ia n
Thi s w ork i s ge n erally k n ow n as“ th e K i tab-i -Tarikh -u d
Dawa l ,” Chro n ologi cal H i st . of Dy n a sties ; bu t i ts proper t i tle
i s Kttdb-u l -Fakhrtfi - l-dddb-u l-Sa lta n i ya t wa. d e n t a l a t I sldm i’
ya ,
”
the book of Fakhri co n ce rn i n g the Co n d u ct of Sovere ig n s a n d theMoham m eda n Dy n a s ti e s . ”
TO elsn cr , p. 1 0 3 .
322 ISLAM CONSECRATES POLITICAL LIBERTY .
law s a n d of a ssu ri n g to i n dividu als perfect equ ality
of rights .“ A happy mixtu re of Simplicity a n d e n ergy, of
di sin terestedn ess a n d good fa i th, of mod esty an d
bravery,of p i ety, a n d of love for u n iversal hu
ma n ity, m ade the charm,says M . Oe ls n e r
,of
the ma n n ers of the early Moslems .” The sobri ety
of life imposed by the precepts of the Prophet,pre
served the gen eral mass of Moslems from those wi ld
ou tbu rsts which di sgraced the lives Of the followers
of other religio n s ; the sa n ctity of speech an d the
respect for law a n d property formed a safegu ard for
the world agai n st oppression .
324 LEARNING AND ARTS
a n exact accou n t of th e phen ome n a for the pu rpose
of risi n g from the effect to the cau se ; a ccepti n g
o n ly what had bee n demo n stra ted by experie n ce
s u ch were the prin ciples tau ght by the (Moslem)masters .” The Arabs i n the 9 th ce n tu ry,
”
con ti n u es the a u thor we are qu oti n g, “ were i n
the possessio n of that fecu n d method whi ch w a s
to become lo n g afterw ard s,i n the ha n ds of the
moder n s, the in stru me n t of their most beau tifu l
di scoveri es .”
Volu meswou ld be requ ired to e n u merate the host of
scie n tific m e n a n d m e n of learn i n g,who flou rished
abou t thi s epoch,all of whom have left i n some w ay or
other thei r mark i n the history of progress . We
can simply ske tch here the di scoveries a n d achieve
me n ts of the Moslems i n the fie ld of i n tellect . I n
a stro n omy, the di scoveri e s of the so n s of Mfi sa b e n
Shak ir,who flou ri shed u n de r Hita a n d Mamd u
,
especially wi th refe re n ce to the evalu ati o n s of the
mea n movemen t of the s u n a n d a stral bodi es , ap
proach i n exact n e ss the la test di scoveries of E u rope .
These m e n d e termi n e d with a wo n derfu l preci sio n ,
con sideri n g the applian ce s they possesse d, the obli
qu i ty of the eclipti c, an d marked for the first time
the variati o n s i n th e lu n ar lati tu des . The Greeks
had n ever apprehe n de d the applica tio n of pu re m a
thematics to th e me asu reme n t of su rfaces . Th e
Sé d i llot , H i st . de s A rabe s, p 344.
AMONG THE MOSLEMS . 325
Moslems, u n der the Caliph M u ta z i d,
first appli ed
algebra to geometry .* They observed an d de ter
mi n ed with remarkable accu racy the precessio n of the
equ i n oxes,the movemen ts of th e solar apogee (which
were u tterly u n k n ow n to the Greeks) a n d the ce cen
t r i ci ty of the ecliptic, &c . By the time Albatan i -Tappeared
,the Moslems had evolved from the cru de
a stro n omy of the a n ci e n ts, a regu lar a n d harmo n i ou s
scie n ce . Albata n i has been regarde d by Ba i lly as
the a stro n omer alo n e worthy of the n ame amo n g the
Moslems . Bu t Bata n i o n ly gave a form a n d character
to th e di scoveri es of hi s predece ssors . He i s, how
ever,best kn own i n th e hi story of mathemati cs a s
the i n trodu ce r of the si n e a n d co-si n e i n stead of the
chord i n astro n omi cal an d trigo n ometrical calcu la
tion s .The love of le arn i n g which characterised the Ah
b assi d e s a n d th e Fa tim id e s , w as ha n de d dow n to the
dyn asti e s whi ch su cce e de d them . Th e Sam a n id e s
i n Tran sox i a n a (Ma-w ar -u n -Nahr) ;T th e B u y ide s
(Al -Bu w a ih) i n Persi a, a n d at Bagdad i n th e capaci tyof mayors of the palace the Ghaz n avi d e s ah Ghaz n i ,
Abu -l -Hassan Saba be n Ku rrah of Hu rran ,w as the firs t perso n
who i n ve n ted thi s sc i e n ce . He d ied i n 288 A . I I . See Mé kha z -i
U lfi m ,p . 62 .
TMoham m ed be n Jaber al Bata n i . Com p . throu ghou t th e m aste rlyske tch by Draper , of the i n tellectu al gran de u r of the e arlyMoslem s .
H i st . of I n tell .D eve lopm e n t of E u rope , vol . I i . pp . 26- 5 1 .
TLi t . The lan d on th e other side of the ri ver, i . e . Ox u s .
326 ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE MOSLEMS
vied with each other i n the cu ltivation of learn ing a n d
patro n age of the learn ed . The Selju k id e s—Tu ghral,Alp Ar slan
,Sa n jar a n d Malek Shah—were n ot on ly
remarkable for their gra n deu r,their clear com
prehen sion of what constitu ted the welfare of the
people, b u t were equ ally distin gu ished for intellectu a l
gifts a n d u nbou n ded enthu siasm i n the cau se of
lear n i n g .
The hordes of the deva sta tor Che n g i z , swept like
overwhelmi n g torren ts over Moslem Asia . Wherever
they wen t, they left misery a n d desolation . Bu t the
m ome n t the w i ld barbarian s adopted the religion of
the Prophet of Arabia , a cha n ge came over them .
From the destroyers of the seats of lear n in g a n d
arts they were tra n sformed in to the fou n ders of aca
demi es,a n d the protectors of the learn ed . Su ltan
Khoda-Be n dah (Uljai t u Khfi n ), the sixth i n d esce n t
from Ch e n g i z wa s remarkable for hi s attai n me n ts
an d patro n age of the sciences . Eve n Hu litk u , the
gra n dso n of Ch e n g i z , a n d the destroyer of Bagdad,protected the a stro n omer-philosopher
,Khaja Na sir
u d -d i n of Td s .
Un de r the Bu yides flou ri shed Ab u -l-wafa, who
i n trodu ced the u se of th e seca n t a n d the tan gen t
i n trigo n ometry . Bu t thi s w a s n ot all,” says
M Sé d i llot , stru ck by the imperfecti on of the
lu n ar theory of Pt olemy, he ve rified the a n cie n t
observa ti o n s, a n d di scovered,i n depe n de n tly of
the equ a ti on of the ce n tre a n d the er ection , a third
328 THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES .
tables of Ibn Yu n is* were translated in 1280 by the
Chi n ese an d thu s what i s attribu ted to the a n cien t
civilization of Chi n a,is o n ly a borrowed light from
the Moslems .
It was, however not o n ly a stron omy which the
Moslems cu ltivated a n d improved . Every branch of
higher mathematics bears traces of their gen iu s .
The Greeks are said to have i n ven ted algebra ; b u t
amon g them,a s M . Oe ls n er has ably remarked, it was
co n fin ed to fu rn ishin g amu semen t for the plays of
the goblet .”T The Moslems applied it to higher a n d
n obler pu rposes ; a n d thu s gave it a valu e hitherto
u n k n own . Un der Mam un,they discovered the
solu ti o n of equ ati o n s of the seco n d degree a n d very
soo n after,they de veloped the theory of qu adratic
equ atio n s .
Th e cu ltivatio n of the phys i ca l scien ces w a s no less
d i ligen tly pu rsu ed by the Moslems . Chemistry,Botan y
,Geology, Ru ral Eco n omy, the Scien ce of
Agri cu ltu re a n d Natu ral Hi story, exerci sed the
powers an d i n tellect of ‘the greatest m e n . Bu t the
Moslems certa i n ly deserve the gra ti tu de of the
modern world, for havi n g i n trodu ced the method of
ex per i m en ta ti on i n to th e domai n s of the exact scie n ces
i n place of the theoriz in g of the Greeks .
Chemistry a s a sci e n ce is the u n di spu ted i n ven tion
of the Moslems . Abu Must]. Jafar of Ku fa (the
Se e Drape r , vol . 1 1 . p . 47 .
‘
i‘
O elsn er, p . 20 5 .
THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES . 29
Geber of Christian writers) is the tru e father of Moslem Chemistry . His n ame i s memorable i n chem
i stry, sin ce it m arks an epoch i n that scie n ce of
eq u al importan ce to that of Priestley a n d La
I n the kn ow ledge of a n atomy a n d pharmacy, the
Moslems left all their pred ecessors far behi n d an d
d eveloped those bran ches of le arn i n g i n to posi tive
sci e n ces . Bota n y, they advan ced far beyo n d the
state i n which i t had been left by D ioscoride s a n d
e n riched the h e rbalog y of the Greeks by the additio n
of two thou san d plan ts . Regu lar garde n s exi ste d both
m Cordova a n d Bagdad,at Cairo an d Fe z , for th e
edu cati o n of pu p ils, where di sco u rses were de livered
by the most lear n e d i n the scie n ce .
Aldem ri i s famou s i n the Moslem world for hi s
hi story of a n imals,— a work whi ch forestalled B u ffo n
by seven hu n dred years .
Geology, whi ch has bee n Clai m ed a s a E u ropean
s ci e n ce , w as cu ltivated u n de r the n ame of I lm - i
Ta shrih-u l-Ardh, the sci e n ce of the a n atom y of the
earth .
Bu t of all the sci e n ces cu ltiva te d by the Arabs a n d
the Moslems,agr i cu ltu re w as the o n e i n whi ch they
made th e greate st progr e ss . No civilized n atio n
of their times,
” says a n Eu ropea n wr iter, pos
330 THE APPARENT BACKWARDNESS
I n metallu rgy, no n ation of the world
ha s su rpassed the Moslems . The blades of Toledo,
Damascu s a n d Gran ada have been scarcely matched
by the best produ ctio n s of the modern world .
Nu mismatics was n ot u n k n own a n d the work of
Mak r iz i serves as a model to the scholars of all
The su periority of the Moslems i n archite ctu re
requ ires n o comme n t . Their developmen t of the
scie n ce of politi cal e con omy is too well-kn own to
need more than a bare me n tion . Bu t their backward
ness i n two of the greatest of the fi n e arts, scu lptu re
a n d paintin g, has fu rn ished Christia n writers with a
s u bject for a great di splay of rhetoric . Thi s back
w ar d n e ss has bee n charged to the prohibition of
images by the Kora n ic laws,— a prohibitio n similar
i n n atu r e to the Levitica l comma n dmen t . This
charge is made withou t d u e k n ow ledge of the s ign i fi can ce of the prohibitive law ,
or of the circu m
sta n ces which i n du ced its promu lgatio n . Probably
to the first Moslems, pre- emin en t Ico n oclasts, pa i n t
i n g an d statu ary were odi ou s a s leadi n g to idolatry .
Tha t this vi ew was not co n trary to fact is m ade
Cri chton ,vol . i i . p . 1 1 8 . See al so the abstract of the Ki tab-u z
Zi raet (Book u pon Agri cu l tu re) by Abu Zakaria, gi ve n i n the
Kashf-u z -Zu n z‘
cn .
1 D e Sacy has tran s lated i n to Fre n ch two of Makri z i’
s pri n cipa l
works : on e, The H i story of Arab i an Mon ey, a n d the other, “ A
Treatise on the Legal We ights a n d Measu re s . "
The achievemen ts of the Moslems i n the field of
gen era l literatu re were a s gloriou s as those i n a n y
other department of k n owledge . I n rhetoric,i n
philology, i n poetry, i n history, i n roman ce, ma n y of
the gran dest mo n u men ts of hu ma n i n tellect exist i n
the lan gu ages of the Moslems, a n d especially i n that
of the Arabs .
No n atio n —not even the Greeks—excelled th e
Arabs i n eloqu en ce or i n rhetori c, the laws of whi ch
they formu lated wi th the precisio n of a Q u i n ti lia n .*
The divi sio n a n d j ealou sy of the tribes,which had
preven ted the a ss imilati on an d fu si o n of thei r severa l
dialects,had nevertheless co n du ced to the e n ri chmen t
of the n ation al la n g u age, as spoken i n Hijaz . The
a n n u al con flu x of people at Ok adh , wi th the periodi cal
co n tests of the poets,imparted to it a regu lari ty a n d
poli sh . Bu t it wa s the Koran a book, by the
a i d of whi ch the Arabs co n qu ered a world greater
tha n that of Alexa n der the Great, greater than
that of Rome, a n d i n as ma n y ten s of years a s th e
latter had wan ted hu n dreds to a ccompli sh her con
qu ests by the a i d of which they, alo n e of all th e
Shemites,came to Eu rope a s kings, whither the
Phoen ici a n s had come as tradesmen , a n d the Jews
a s fu gitives or captives ; cam e to Eu r Ope to hold
u p,together with these fu gitives, the light to
The two greatest works i n the Arab i c la n gu age on thi s su bj ectare (l ) The T alkh i s-u l
-Mi ftah of Kazw i n i,w i th i ts Sha rh (com
m e n tary) by Mou lan a'
Sad—u d-d i n Taftasfm i ; an d (2) The Hadfiyek
u l-Balaghat of Mou lan a Sham s-u d-d i n .
THE KORAN—I TS CHARACTERIST I CS . 338
Hu ma n ity — they alo n e, whi le dark n ess lay arou n d,to ra i se u p the wi sdom a n d k n ow le dge of He lla s
from the dead, t o teach ph ilosophy, medi ci n e , a s
t ron om y , a n d the golden art of so n g to the We st
a s t o the Ea st, to sta n d a t the cradle of modern
sci en ce, an d to cau se u s late ep igo n i for eve r to
weep over the d ay whe n Gra n ada — i t w as
thi s book whi ch fixe d a n d pre se rved th e Arab i c
lan gu age on a syste m ati c fou n datio n . Remarkable
for th e simple gra n de u r of its dicti o n , the chaste
elega n ce of i t s style , the vari e ty of i ts imager i e s, the
rapid tra n si tio n s like fla she s of lightn i n g, whi ch show
th e morali st te achi n g,— th e philosopher th eoso
phi z i n g ,— the i n ju re d pat ri ot de n ou n c i n g i n fervi d
expressi o n s the Immorali ty an d degradati o n of h i s
pe ople, —a n d wi thal th e God of the Un ive rse pro
cla im i n g throu gh the m a n ,the fu n dame n tal tru ths
whi ch gove r n th e moral w orld . S u ch i s the Kora n .
An d th e aw e a n d ve n e rati o n with which th e gre ate st
poe ts of th e d ay li ste n e d to i ts te ach i n g sfi Show how
The se are n ot the words of a Moham m e dan ,—the se are the words
of on e of the greatest scholars of the “fest . De u tsch on Islam ,
Q u arterly Revi ew ,No . 2 5 4, p . 344 .
1' Moham m ed co n ve rted Leb i d , (on e of those gra n d poets whose
poem s rece i ved th e ho n ou r of be i n g s u spe n ded i n the Kaaba), by thestyle of th e Kora n . Leb i d had su spe n ded o n e of h i s m ost bea u t ifu l
poem s i n the Kaaba ; the n ext m orn i n g h e fou n d a port io n of the
seco n d chapter of th e Kora n su spe n ded by th e s ide of h i s p iece . T he
m om e n t h e read i t , he excla i m ed , n o n e bu t a God or a n i n sp. red m a n
cou ld u tter those words a n d i m m e d iate lv cam e to Moham m ed a n d
adopted Is lam .
384 THE KORAN— I TS CHARACTERISTICS .
deeply i t mu st have moved the people . Posse ssm g
li ttle homogen eity, delivered a t differe n t times—i n
mome n ts of pe rse cu tio n a n d a n gu ish— or of e n ergetic
a cti o n , - or d elivered for pu rpose s of practical gu id
a n ce, —there is yet a vitality, a n earn estn ess a n d
e n ergy i n the Kora n,whi ch Show that the Prophet
spoke wi th a n i n spired It has bee n the
fa shio n of late, at lea st i n the Western world,to
der ide the merits of the Kora n , a n d to place it a s a
literary a chievemen t below the tritest Greek or Latin
work . Lest it shou ld b e tho u ght that ou r om o n i s
actu ate d by prej u dice, we qu ote the words of Mr.
Deu tsch . Those gra n d a cce n ts of j oy a n d sorrow,of love, a n d valou r, a n d passio n , of which b u t
fain t echoes strike on ou r ears now,were fu ll
to n ed at the time of Mohammed a n d he had n ot
merely to rival the illu striou s of the i llu striou s,
b u t to excel them ; to appeal to the su periority
of what he sa i d'
a n d sa n g as a very S ign a n d
proof of his missi o n . The poets before
him had su n g of love . A n tara,himself
the hero of the most famou s n ovel, sin gs of
We ll m ight Moham m ed have said of hi m se lf, i n the words of thePers ian poe t
D ar pas-i -ai n a tu ti s ifatam dashta-an d,
Har che Ustad- i -A zal g u ft bagu m i -g fi-em .
They have placed m e behi n d the sce n e ( li t . behi n d the m irror,
l ike a parrot),whatever the Etern al Teacher u ttered, I gave u tteran ceto the sam e .
”
336 POETRY AND GENERAL LITERATURE
star s will rise an d se t everlasti n gly, an d the
mou n ta i n s wi ll re ar their heads heave n wards, a n d
n ever grow old . Mohammed san g n o n e
of these . No love-mi n strelsy his,n ot the joys of
thi s world, n or sword nor camel, n ot j ealou sy or
hu ma n ve n gea n ce, n ot the glories of tribe or
a n ce stors, n or the u n m ean m g , swiftly a n d forever
exti n g u ished existen ce of m a n,were h i s themes .
He preached I s lam . An d he preached it by re n d
i n g th e ski es above a n d tearin g open the grou n d
below, by adj u ri n g heaven a n d hell, the livin g
a n d the
I n Poetry, th e Moslem gen iu s has not been su r
passed,as regards ferti li ty of in tellect
,by that of a n y
o ther n ati o n i n the world . I n every bra n ch of
poe try, lyr i c, dida cti c, e leg a i c, i dylli c or epic, the
Moslem poets m ay be n u mbered by hosts .
The drama is sa id to have bee n n eglected by the
Moslems . Bu t the re a son of thi s appare n t n eglect
is n ot difficu lt to fi n d , a n d ha s bee n already gra sped
by several E u r opean writers . Th e Ar abs a n d the
Persian s who u n dertook dramatic composi tio n s
n ever co n si dered i t n ecessary tha t the work shou ld
be w ri tte n e n tirely i n v e rs e s i' Descr iptio n s
,s imi li
tu de s,reflecti o n s, a n d ma n y of the spe e che s they
expre ssed i n n u mbers, b u t the n arra t ive par t w as,
Deu tsch on Islam , Q u arterly Revi ew ,No . 2 5 4 .
"
f I do n ot spe ak here of the eleg a i c poem s w ri tte n for the d ram a
t i z at ion of th e tragi ca l sce n e s e n acted on th e pla i n s of Kerbela .
AMONG THE MOSLEM S . 337
wi th gre ater pe rceptio n of th e exa ctn e ss of circu m
sta n ces, writte n i n prose . Ma n y of the tale s of the
Thou sa n d a n d O n e Nigh ts” a re compose d i n thi s
mixed m a n n e r fi l<
I n History, the Moslems have given to the world
the most splen di d proofs of the ir ge n iu s . The
bibliographical e n cyclopee d ia of Help Khali fa (the
Kashf- u z -zu n d u ) bear s a glori ou s testimo n y to the
fe cu n dity of the Moslem mi n d . Bu t i n on e depart
me n t of the sci e n ce of hi story, the Moslems , or more
properly the Arabs,might j u stly lay claim to th e
merit of origi n ali ty . The sci en ce of hi stor ic
ev ide n ce, u n k n ow n or a t least u n appreci ated i n
E u rope till the middle of the last ce n tu ry, was per
feebly k n own to the Moslem s . The mass of con
fli ct i n g tradi tio n s wi th whi ch they had to deal, r e
gardi n g the life a n d hi story of thei r great Maste r,early gave ri se to the sci e n ce of sifti n g the credibili ty
of hi stori cal docu men ts -
t
Su ch were th e gloriou s a chi eveme n ts of theMoslems
i n the fie ld of i n tellect a n d all arose directly from
the teachi n gs of o n e persecu ted m an , flyi n g from the
sa n gu in ary a ttacks of remorsele ss e n em ie s i Calle d
Com p .Carly le ’s Specim e n s of A rabic Poe try, Pref. p . 6 .
TT he grea test wri ter on th i s s u bj ect i s the j u r ist, A ha A li
Hu ssai n Karab i s i of Bagdad ; I b n -Khallikan . I n A rab ic . the sc ie n ce
of h istor i c evi de n ce i s called, “ l lrn - i -j arh-w a ’t tad i l” (scie n ce of
e l im i n a tion a n d cla ss ification ).
I;Com p .
M . de S lan e ’s I n trod . to h is Tra n slatio n of I b n -Khali l
k é n , p . 6 .
338 THE MOSLEMS INTRODUCE
by his voice, from the abyss of barbarism a n d i g n o
ra n ce i n which they had hi the rto dw elt, with little
hope of th e prese n t,w ith n o n e of th e fu tu re— they
we n t ou t i n to the world, n ot to slau ghter like the
Isra elites of old, b u t to t ea ch a n d elevate, to civili se
a n d refi n e . Afl icte d a n d down -trodde n hu ma n ity
awoke to n ew li fe . Whi lst the barbaria n s of E u rop e ,who had overtu r n ed a n e fi
'
e t e empi re, were n pi n g
i n the dark n ess of absolu te ig n ora n ce a n d
th e Moslems we re occu pi ed i n th e ta sk of civi li sa
ti o n . D u r i n g ce n tu r i e s of m oral a n d i n te llectu a l
desolati o n i n Chr istia n E u rope, Islam led the v a n
gu ard of i n telle ctu al progre ss . I n a n In di an story
we read of a lan d e n shrou ded i n dark n ess, to whi ch
the demo n s of th e a i r b ar all acce ss . It i s n ot a
fan cifu l la n d . Christi an i ty had e stabli shed i tself o n
the thro n e of the Caesars, b u t i t had u tterly fai led
i n th e object of rege n era ti n g the n atio n s of the
earth . From the fo u rth ce n tu ry of the Chri stia n e ra
to the twelfth ce n tu ry, the dark n ess of Eu rope grew
deeper a n d deepe r . D u ri n g these ages of ig n ora n ce
Ecclesi asti ci sm barred every access throu gh whi ch
the light of k n ow ledge,represe n ted latterly by
Moslem civili sati o n , cou ld stre am i n . Bu t thou gh
j e a lou sly shu t ou t from this lan d of fa n aticism,the
be n ig n a n t in flu e n ces of Islam i n time m ade them
Com p . Draper, H i st . of the I n te llectu al Developm e n t of Eu rope ,vol . i i . p . 26 .
TThe Fasan e-aj ayeb .
340 CHRISTIANITY OPPO SED To RATIONALISM .
for Fr e e thou ght, which his su ccessors were n ot loth
to follow u p. Av e n pace a n d Averroes were the pre
cu rsors Of Descartes, Hobbes a n d Locke . *
The in flu en ce of Abelard a n d of his school soo n
made itself felt in E n gland . W i ck li ffe ’ s origin ali ty
of thou ght a n d freedom of spirit took their rise from
the bold co n ceptio n s of the former thin kers . The
later German reformers, derivi n g their notio n s on on e
side from the ico n oclasti c advocates of Co n sta n ti
n Ople , a n d o n the othe r side from the movemen ts of
the Alb ige n ses,
- theW i ck liffi t e s , a n d eve n from the
Gu e lfs, -pre-emi n e n tly represe n ted the Islamic idea s,o n ly i n a Te u to n i c garb . Lu the r, i n whom , a s
Hallam j u stly thi n ks, there exi sted a vein of i n
sa n i tyfi tri e d to repu d iate all obliga ti o n to Islam ,by
u si n g har sh epi th e ts w i th regard to Moham med , in
h i s tra n slati on of the Koran . Bu t can a n y on e d ou bt
that he was i n flu e n ce d by i t ? Me la n cthon a n d the
o the r Germa n reforme r s were all de eply read i n Mo
ham m e d’s teachi n gs .
To come agai n to the poi n t whe n ce we started
whi le Chri stia n Eu rope had pla ced learn i n g u n de r
th e ba n of pe rsecu ti o n whi le the Vi car of Chri st s e t
the example Of stifli n g th e i n fa n t li spi n gs Of Free
thou ght while the pri e sts led the w ay i n con s i g n i n g
to the flames m yr i ad s of i n offe n sive be i n gs for mere
To those w ho m ay d ou bt th e accu racy of m y statem e n t,I c'
om
m e n d the word s of M . Gobi n ea u , p . 26 .
THallam ,Co n sti tu tion al Hi story of En gla n d , chap . i i . p . 5 6
, n ote .
ISLAM I NTRODUCES FREET I I OUGHT. 341
aberrati o n of rea son or sim ple di fferen ces of op i n io n
regardi n g the n atu re of some bread a n d w i n e ; while
Christia n E u rope wa s exorci si n g dem on s a n d apoth e
os i z i n g a n d wor shippi n g rags a n d bon es,le ar n i n g
flou r i shed u n der the Moslem sovere ig n s, - a n d w as
he ld i n hon ou r a n d ve n erati o n a s n eve r of old . The
Vi cegere n ts of Mohamm ed alli ed them se lve s to the
cau se of civi li sati o n ,a n d assi ste d i n the growth of
Fre e thou g h t a n d Fre e -en qu iry— or igi n ated a n d con
se cra te d by th e Prophe t him se lf Pe rse cu ti o n for
th e sake of fa i th w a s u n k n ow n ; a n d whateve r the
poli tical co n du ct Of th e sove re ign s, the w orld ha s
n eve r had su pe r ior example s, i n the ir i m par tiali ty a n d
absolu te tole ra tio n of all cr e e d s a n d re ligio n s . The
cu ltiva tio n of the physi cal sci e n ce s,—tha t grea t i n dex
to th e i n telle ct u al libe rty of a n atio n ,— form ed the
day-dream of th e whole l ife of the Moslems .
Thre e gr e a t evi ls have b efalle n th e hu m an race
three grea t di sasters, whi ch have m ater ially retard e d
Com p .Gobi n eau , p . 26 . Two Of the m ost fam o u s tradi tio n a l say
i n gs of Moham m ed are w orthy of be i n g em blazo n ed i n le tters of gold,a n d adopted as the m otto of the world of i n tellect : The i n k Of the
scholar,” he wou ld repeatedly im pre ss u pon hi s followers, i s m oresacred than the blood of the m artyr .
”O n ce wh i le di lati n g u po n
the san cti ty of Reaso n , he sa id It i s re la ted tha t God crea te dReason , a n d i t was the m ost b eau ti fu l be i n g i n Hi s Creatio n ,—a n d
God sa id to i t, I have n ot cre a ted a n y thi n g be tter or m ore pe rfec tor m ore bea u ti fu l than thou ,
blessi n gs w i l l com e dow n o n m a n k i n d
o n thy acco u n t, a n d they w i ll be j u dged accordi n g to the u se theym ake of thee .
’ The K i tab -u l-M u s ta tri f, chap . i i . a lso g ive n in
the M ishkat , Bk . xx i i . chap . 1 8 , pt . 3, (from Ab ii I l u rai rah).
342 THREE GREAT EV I LS
the progress of the world,a n d pu t back the Hou r
Ha n d of Time for ce n tu ries . The first is the fa i lu re
of the Persia n s i n Greece the secon d is the u n su c
ce ssfu l siege of Co n sta n tin ople by the Saracen s
u n der Mu sle m ah i n the eighth ce n tu ry ; a n d th e
third is the u n fortu n ate resu lt of the battle of Tou rs
betwee n the Moslems u n der Abdu r Rahma n Fehr i ,a n d the w i ld hordes of Charles, du ke of Aqu ita n e,su r n amed by the Christian s, Mar tel . Each of these
even ts has preve n ted either the growth or progre ss
of civilisatio n . If thePersian s had su cceeded i n bri n g
i n g Greece withi n the ci rcle Of their domi n io n ,the
in flu en ce of the Hellen ic ge n iu s wou ld have been far
greater, an d wou ld have exten ded over a wider are a
than w a s poss ible u n der the fa cti ou s j ealou sies of
petty sta tes,man y of them smaller tha n the smallest
mu n icipality in In dia or E n glan d . The Persian s
u n de r the Kya n i an (Achaemen ia n ) sovereig n s carried
o n their w ar with a far -seei n g policy . They a lways
a llowed the states whi ch became su bj ect to them to
retain a ce rtain degree Of i n depe n den ce a n d au to
nomy . The pr i n ciple on which they proceeded arose
n ot from a d esire of rap i n e a n d co n qu est, b u t rather
from a we ll-devised poli cy of Had Persi a
s u cceeded i n amalg amati n g Gre ece wi th he rself, the
resu lt o n ly parti ally attai n ed by the Hellen i c u p
Com p . throu ghou t Draper, H i s t . of the I n te llectu al Deve lopm e n ti n Eu rope, vol . i . pp . 12 5 , 1 27 .
344 D I SASTROUS RESULTS To SPAIN .
u n told . Above all Spa i n , a t on e time the favou red
ha u n t of le ar n i n g a n d a rts,wo u ld n ot have become
the i n tellectu al deser t it n ow is,bereft of the
glories Of ce n tu ries . Who has n ot mou r n ed over the
fate of that gloriou s race,which th e m ad b i g otry of
a despot of the Escu ria l exiled from the cou n try of
its adoptio n , which it had made famou s a mo n g
n atio n s Ju stly has it bee n said, I n an ill-ome n edhou r the cross su ppla n ted the cresce n t o n the
towers of Gra n ada . The shades of the gloriou s
de ad , of Averroes a n d Av e n pace , of Valad e ta a n d
Ay e shafl< sit weep i n g by the ru i n ed hau n ts of their
people—ha u n ts si len t n ow to the voice of mi n strelsy,of chivalry
,of lear n in g, a n d of ar t,— o n ly echoin g
a t tim es the m ad o u tcries Of religiou s comba ta n ts,a t times the fierce sou n ds Of political a n imosi ties .
Christi a n i ty drove the de sce n dan ts of these Moslem
An dalu si a n s i n to the desert, su cked ou t every ele
men t Of vitality from beau tifu l Spain , an d mad e it
a syn o n ym for in tellectu al an d m oral desolation .
If Mu sle m ah had su cceeded i n captu rin g Co n
s ta n ti n ople ,—the capital of Ir e n e, the warm advocate
of orthodoxy a n d cru el mu rderess of her ow n son ,
the dark deeds whi ch su lly the a n n als of the Isa u
rian s, the Com n e n i,the Palae olog i, the terrible re su lts
whi ch a tte n ded the se i zu re of Byzan ti u m by th e
Lati n s,above all, the fr ightfu l ou tb u rst of the u n holy
Two pri n cesse s of the Om m iade hou se of Cordova .
I SLAM AND CHRISTIANITY . 345
war s i n which Chri sti a n Eu rope tri ed to stra n gle
th e n a ti o n s of Asia,wo u ld probably n ever have come
to pa ss . Bu t on e thi n g i s certai n , that i f Co n sta n
t i n ople h ad falle n i n to the han ds of the Moslem s, th e
ico n oclasti c moveme n t w ou ld n ot have proved alto
gethe r abor tive a n d th e re formati on Of the Chr i st i a n
Chu rch w o u ld have be e n accompli shed ce n tu r i e s
earli er . To u se a n oft-repeate d expressi o n ,Provide n ce
wi lled otherw i se . The wave of Fr e e thou gh t whi ch
had reache d th e Isa u ri a n em perors from th e Islam i c
regi o n s,broke u po n the rocks of ig n ora n ce , su per
s t i t ion , a n d bigotry ; i t s power w as n ot felt, u n ti l
the com bi n ed a cti on of the schools Of Salern o a n d
Cordova,— the i n flu e n ce of Ave rroes, an d pe rhaps of
some Gre eks w ho had imb ibe d lear n in g a t the Sara
ce n i c fou n ta i n -he ad—had broken d own the rampart
Of Eccle s i a sti ci sm
Islam thu s i n trodu ced i n to the modern w orld
c ivi li sat io n ,philosophy
,th e arts a n d the sci e n ce s ,
everythi n g that e n n oble s the heart a n d e levate s the
mi n d . I t i n a u gu rate d the r e ig n of i n te lle ctu al
libe r ty .
It has be e n j u stly re m arked , that as lo n g as I slzi m
re ta i n ed i ts pri sti n e chara cte r i t prove d i tse lf the
wa rm prote c tor a n d prom oter of k n ow le dge a n d
civi li zatio n ,— th e z e alou s ally of In telle ctu al fre edom .
Th e m om e n t extra n e o u s e le m e n ts a ttached the m
s e lve s to i t, i t lagge d b ehi n d i n th e race of progress .
Le t u s hope tha t the ti m e i s approachi n g whe n
2 A
0 )
0 46 ISLAM AND CHR I STIANITY .
Islam,freed from the blin d idolatry of le tters a n d
apotheosi s of dead m e n ,will rega i n her tru e character
a n d,joi n i n g ha n ds with the Christia n ity Of the
devoted Prophet of Nazareth, will march on to
gether i n the work of C ivili satio n . Islam a n d
Chr istia n i ty both a im at the sam e resu lts,—the
e levatio n of ma n k i n d . The ga in of th e o n e is the
gai n of the othe r . Why, the n , shou ld the two be
hostile to each other ? Why shou ld n ot the two
harmo n ize I slzi m has do n e n o evi l to the world, n or
has Christia n i ty . Both have co n ferred the greatest
ben efits on man kin d . Why then shou ld n ot the
two,m ixi n g the waters of life treas u red i n thei r
bosom, form the bright flowin g river whi ch wou ld
bear ou r ra ce to the most glor i ou s fie lds of Hu ma n i ty ?
Everythi n g that elevate s the heart Of m an i s tru e ;everythi n g tha t leads to goodn ess a n d p u r ity i n
actio n a n d i n thou ght is tru e . Why n ot the n he n ce
forth adopt the words Of the Prophet Of Arabia , a s
the motto Of H u ma n i ty“ Try to excel i n good works ; whe n ye shall
retu rn u n to God, He wi ll tell you as to that i n
which y e have di ffered .
”
CONCLUSION .
