1000000031

¡\I A II

M A H

h.:fi,¡cs :chil¡!1 en. T hcfe rdllgccs wcrc kin<lIy rccci"cd

the

~janli ,

l..i:lg

Ethi(lpi~.

\Vho rcfulc.:d tO de–

I,ver lhcm up 10 thofe WhC1nl Ihe J(o;rifh rent loocmand

llH111,

~nd,

;tS

(he Arah

\VI

¡Iets

un:\nimoully

anell,

cvcn

(lrtlfdl'ed lhe

~ loh"mmt.'d:tn

,cli::,ion.

Ihe

rix.th

year

11IS

miOion Ivloharnmcd h3d the

plcAr"fc of fccing his PUl)'

nrcnglh(m~d

IJv Ihe coO\'er–

fion of !lis uncl..: Hamz:l, a man,of

r.rcó\l

Y~lollr

and

Ole–

rit , ,nd of 001" Ebn . 1 Klm,. b, • per(on highly e–

llet"Oltd , and once

ti.

\'iolent

erparer

lhe

prophct.

perfcclItion gene

rally adv:mces rather lin o obltl'uéts

lhe

rpre.ding or. rc1igion, In, mi(m m. de ro gre... progrrr.

31llong

lhe Arab (Tibes , that Ihe Koreifll,

10 fupprcfs il

drc~Llally.

pofli ble,

in Ihe fC\feolh

yea r

of l\1ohammed',

minion, made a fol emn

le~guc

or covenant againfl the Ha–

!hemi,es .nd ,hef"mily of Abd'.lmot.lleb, cng'ging ,hem–

feln s to contr¡lll no marriagcs with any of

lhem,

and to

ha\'c no comnlunication wlth

lhem ;

and , to givc it

the cre:u er fanllion, rertllced it" inlo \Vriting, and l:lid

IIp

in the C,laba,

pon this thc u ibe became dividcd

imo

t \Vo

faftions; :1 nd the family of Ha(hcnl all repaircu

Abu T aleb, as their head; exccpt only Abd',1

Un.,

furnaOled Abu L aheb, who, out of his inveterate hatred

to his nephew and his dotlrine, wcnt over to the oppo–

fi, e p"'y. who(e eh,ef was Abu Sofian Ebn Harb, of ,he

C,mily of Omme)'a,

The

ramilies cominued thus at variance: ror three

years; but, in' the: tenth year ofhis miffion, Mohammed

lold his uncle Abu T.I<b, ,h" God h.d manifelllynle\ved

hi. di(' pprob..ion of the league whieh the Korci!h h.d

m:lde againfl d\em, by fending a WOI

tO eat OUt every

word of the inOrumen" exeept the name of G od, Of

this a«ident l-Ioh. mmed had probably (ome private no,

tice; for Ahu T aleb went immedi:nely

the Kort.ilh

and acquail'lted them with

it;

offcring, If it proved falfe,

to deliver his nephew up lO them ; bUl, in cafe it were

Irue, he infille.! ,h. t ,heyought to I.y afidc their animo–

fi, y, and .nnul the league they h.d

m.de

. g.inO the

Hafhemites. T o (his they acquiefced, :;¡ml, gcing to in–

fptél lhe writing, tOIhelr greal aflonilñmenl fuund it tO

be .. Abu T . leb had (aid; and ,he leagut \Vas ,hereupon

declared \!oid

In the (,me

yea~

Abu T alcb died, "the age orobove

fourfcore; and it

is lhe

general opinion Ihat he died

infidel

thour.h othcrs

f~y,

that when he was in dle point

of dea,h he cmbracod Moh. mmedi(m, and produce (ome

p¡¡frflges out of his poelic;ll compofitions to confirm lheir

affcrlion. About a month, or, as fome write,

Ihreed.ay'

~f[er

the dcalh of tbis crtat bcndatlor antl patron, Mo–

h"mmc.:cl hOtd the aclditional mortification

lofe his \'.'Ifc

Khaclij:d\, who h:\d fo gencronfly mOlde hi::; rortune. For

which reafim lhis ycar is ci\!h.d

Ihe

)'t:nr

1/IIJurning,

the dcalh of there IWO

p~rrons

Ihe h orcilh

b':g~n

to be mOTC t! oubh:fome than e\ler tO Iheir prophcl. antl

eJpcrially fume who hatl formcrly been his IntlmiUC

' Ticnos: infonmch that

founo hinafdf

obliJ!~d

f\,.ck

nlc1tcr

df~wh('re,

ilnd

fidl

I'itchcd upon T ayer. :lbOUl

riXty miles

can

from

1\l~cca,

for the place for his rcucat.

T hilher lhclefore he \\'cnt, accornr,tnicd h)' his fer\'.tnt

Zied. •ntl .rp)¡<J himfdf

' wo of ,he ehieQof the trtbe

of T h, kif \Vho \lere the inhabitants of ,h., place ; bm

V OL ,

111.

10,

69,

l!lcy I'ccei,'cci lhcm "ery col(I1)/ Ho\V\!\'er, he naid there

month; antl fome of du: more

conficl~r:\te

anrl bctccr fOI( uf

IHeo

trcateo himwith a linle rerpeét: hut Ihe: navcs alld

in.

f~rior

pCl1ple

;.u

1~J!rh

rore

íl¡":

,inlt

him,

and, b, inr,ing him

the waH

t'ft""c

eH)',

obliged

him

dl!p~ rt,

and re–

turo

J\fecca ; whcre hepul himfd f under Ihe prO(cfliall

of . 1Mo,aam Ebn t,di,

This repulre greatly di(eouroged his fol1o"'ers: ho\'l–

ever~

l\tohamOled was nal wanting tOhimfelf, bUl bolclly

contlnucd la preach la lhe public aflemblies al the pilgri.

motge, O\lld gained feveral

profel},te~,

;lnd aOlong lhen'"

fix

of the ¡ohabitants of Y,Hhrcb of lhe Jcwilh trabe of

Khazr:.j,

who,

on thei r rcturn home,

r.~iled

not tOfpcak

,much in commenuation of thcir ncw rdigion, and ex ..

horted their rcllow.citizens to embrace

Ihe

fame,

In the twc:lflh year of his minion it was

thal

Moh:;¡m–

med g"ve OUt that he

had

Dlade his niJ!hl joulney froni

Mccc:1. tO j c:rufalcm, and

th~nce

to heavcn,

much fpo.

ken of by all that wrile of him, Dr ,PndeallX Ihinks

invcnted it, either

tú

anfwer the expe:éhlions of thofe

\I ..

ho demandcd fome miraclc as a proof of his million :

elfe, by prclcnding to have converfed with God, ro ella..

bliCh lhe authority of wh;ucvcr he fhould think

(il

to le:tve

behind by way of oral tri\dition, and make his fayings

tO'

ferve

lhe

fame pu' pufe i\S thcorallaw of the Jews,

llUl

it docs not appear thal Mohítmmed himfelf ever expclled

ro gre.t a reg"d nlOuld be p. id tOhis (aying., as hi.

followe rs I",'e Gnee done ; and (eeing he all along dir–

c1aimed any powcr of performi ng mirades, it feems ra·

ther to have becn

fetch of poliey to raire his reputatíon;

by pre'ending 'o have aaudlly eon"cr(ed wi,h God in

heavcn, as Mofes had herelOforc done

the mount, and

tOhave received feveral inUitulions immediately from

him~

whereas before he contented himfelf with perfuading

them ',ha! he had .11 by the minifiry of Gabriel.

Howevtr, this fiory (eemed (o ab(utd and ineredibl"

that fevera!of his followers left hiOlupon

il;

and IH\d pro–

b.bly ruined the \Vhole defign, hadno, Abu Becrvouehed

for his veraeity, and dedared thae, ir Mohammco :;¡r·

fi rmed ie tO be true, he \'crilybelit:"ed

lhe

wholc, \:Vhich

happy incident not only retrieved lhe prophct's credit,

but

incrc.:lr~Ú

it to fu eh

degrC'c, that he \V;¡S fecure of

being able tO m. ke his di(ciples (wallow whatev" he

pl..red 'o impore on ,bem for ,he fu,ure, And ,his fié–

tion, r.otwithCtanding its extravagance, was one of lhe

mofl artful contrivanees

~1:ohammcd

c\'er pUl in pl'aélice,

and what chidly cuntribulcd to lhe raifing of his leputa·

tion tO thal glc;u height to which it 3fterwards

arri\'t~d.

In this ycar. c:lllcd by (he

~loh~mmldans

the

ucrrpftd

)(ar ,

twcl\'e mcn of Yathreb or f\I edinil , of whom ten

werc of thlo! trabe of Khazr:tj . :lr.d the other t\Vo

,hit

1\ \\'5,

carne

lOl\lecca, :4ncllook

O:llh of 6d.lit)' tO

l\l oh.lmm~ti

al Ak.\h:l, a

hill on

Ih~

nonh of ,h:u ('ity,

"hi,

oalh W:lS

cal!cd/llt

'tIJOIlJtnJ 00/ [' ;

not (hal ...

0)' W\)·

m::n

\Ven,'

rn,~r~:lt

lhi!i

timC',

hut

hcc:;¡uf~

nun

\'.'as

not th!.lthy uhligcd

,.¡le

IIp

21ms in

d~fer,ce

1\10-

hanllTl'(1 (Ir his

!agion: il btior,

tllC

f:lmc o'¡¡lh

111:\1

was

aflcrwaros

1.:

'(;~{kd

of the \\lomen, Ihe fcorm cf \\ hich

\\ c

ha\'e

tll<

Korl.rl

:mJ

IS lO Ihis

,A'\ (\;

t iz o

T hat they

fllOulJ rt.'nounce .dl idol.ttry

and the)' r.lOlIld nOI fl l'al,

nor con!mit

[ornic~lion,

nor

kilI

lhu r chilJrc:n

(.1:-

the

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