1000000031

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1'1'1

P ' gan Arab, uf, d to do when tlíey .pprehended they

lhoulJ not be ablc

IIldintain them,) nor forge cJlumnies ;

and that they Ihould ob<y the prophet in . 1I things that

w~re

reaf.lOfl ble.

\Vhctl

thcy had fo lcmnly cngagcd lOall

this, rvIohammed fenl one oi" his difciplcs, named !vlarao

Ebn Omair, home wilh th em, loin

Uruét

lhem more fuJly

the groulTc1s and

c~, emoni~s

of his

new

rdihion.

~'hfab

being arrived al Ml!dina, by the

~lIittance

thofe who

had

b~en

furmerly converted, galDed fever:d

profely 'es partlculilrly oraid Ebn Hodeira, a chid Olan

of the city, .nd Saad Ebn Moadh. prince of the "ibe of

A ws ; Mohammedifm fpreading fu fan, thin there was

{c.Hce a hOllfe wherein there \Vere nOI lome whu had em–

bracect il.

The next year, being lhe thirteenth of Mohammed's

miffion,

lvIaf.lb

returned

Mecca, accompanied by

feventy duee men anrl twO women of l\1edlna who hdd

profefT~d

IOamirm,

he~des

forne

o~rs

who were as yet

a nbelievers. On their arrival, they immedipely fent to

Mohammed, and

off~red

him lheir :.Iffifi.mte, of whlch

he was now in great need; for his adverf.Hies were by

this time grown fo powerful in Mecc:1, that he could not

fiay there much longer withoul immínent ddAger.

oere·

Core

he accepted their proporal, and met them ooe night,

by appoiotment, al

Akaba above-mentioned, attended by

his uncle al A!lbas, who, though he was nOl fhen a be–

Jiever, wiíhed his nephew wdl , and made a fpeech

thofe of Medina, wherein he {old them, that as Moham–

roed was oolige:d to quit his nalive city. and feek an

.fylum elfewhere, and they had offered him their pro·

leaion, they would do well not tO deceive him; that if

.hey were not fi rmly refolved

defend••ud not

b~tray

bim, tbey had better declare their minds, and lel him

, rovide for his fafety in fome olher manoer. Upoo their

protefling their

~nc.:rily, ~Iohammed

fwore tO be faith–

flll to them, on condition that they fhOllld prote(t him

againfl all infllhs, as hearti ly as they would their own

wives and families. They then afl<ed him what recom–

pence they were to expetl if they filOUld happen to be

killed in his quarrel ; he anrwered, paradife. Where–

upon they pledged their f,ith to him, and fo return:d

home; afler Mohammed had chofen twelve out of their

number

who were tO have the fame authority among

.hem as the twelve ' ponle, of ChriCl h, d among hi, dif–

ciples.

Hitherto Mohammed h. d prop' g, ' ed his religion by

fair

~eans,

fo lhal the whole fuccefs of his enterprize,

before his fli ght lOMedlna, mu(l be atributld

perfua–

fioo onl y. and not

lOcompulr.on.

For before

lhi~

fecond

oath of ft'alty or inauguration at al Akaba, he had no

permifTion

ufe any force atall; and in fc:veral places

of the

KonlO,

which he ?retended \Vere revealed during

his (lay at l\lecca, he clt:c1í\res his

bu~nefs

was only to

preach and adrnoniO}:

th:u he

h ld no authorilY

compel

any perfon lO embrace his rdieion: and thal. wht'ther

people bcheve or not, \Vas none of his concern, out be–

longed r"lely uoto God. And he was fo far from .tllow–

¡ne his folJuwers

ure force, that he exhl'ln ed them

bear patiend y thore Injuries

which

\Vere offercd thCI1l lln

account of their faith; :\nd, wh·'o pcrkcuted himfclf.

chofe r.tber

quit lhe place of his hinh .nd retire lO

6 )

Mt!diIl3, than to make any rcfi{hnce. But ;his grea.t

paffiv~nds

J.nd

modcr.ltiun fccm !::!1tircly o'::ing

hi!J

want of powcr,

anJ

lhe grctlt fupcriorit y of his opporers

for lh!:: ¡irU twd ve yCMS of his miffion: (or no foonee

was ht: entlbled, by the

ilffij~ance

thufe of Mtdina,

ma.ke

hCdd againU hlS enemles. than he gave OUt, that

G od h.d ,lIow,d hin> , nd

nlS

follo ., ers tO defend them–

felns againrl lhe in!ldds ;-and ai length, as his lorces

incrc:aled,

preten,led

hav!:: Ihe divine letlve cven tO

attack them ; and

d.. ll roy tdol:ury, .tnd

(el

up tlle

[fUe

faith l,y lile f\,!u:d r.ndlOg, by cxpen ence, that his dt–

ligns

w~ld

othcrwllc prucecd very flowly, if they weTe

nOI ulterly Overthrown; and knowing. Ol} Ihe other hand,

thin innov.ltors, when thl" j' depend rolel)' on cheir own

Hrengl h, and can compel, feldom run :lny rifque; (rom

whence, fays Machidvel, it lollows,

that

all the armed

prophets h.tve fuceeedcd, and Ihe unarmed ones have

f.il

, d. Mofes. Cyrus. Thefeu" . nd Romulus, would

nO[

have been able

c(labilfh the obfervance of their

in–

Oilutions for any lenglh of time, had they not beeo armed.

The

lid!

p:t(fa~e

of the Koraa whicJlaiftilvt! Mohammcd

the perm:flion of def<ndiog him[e! by arms, is r. id tO

have been that in the

twent) a~eco

ch, pter.; after which

a great number tO Ihe fame purpo(e were reve,ded.

Tha, Moh. mmed h. d a right tO take up arms ror his

own defence again(l his llnjufl perfeculors. may, perhaps,

be allowed ; but whether

ought afterwards to have

madc: ufe of that means for the eflablin)ing of his religion,

is nOl fo eafy to determine. Ho\V fae lhe fecular power

m;(y or ought to interpore in afftlirs of this oature, mana

klnd are not agreed. The Olethod of eonverting by lhe

f\Vord glVes no very favollrabJe iJea of lhe failh which is

fo propaga«d. and is d.f, lIowed by el'ery body in thofe

of another religion, though Ihe fame perfons are willing

to admit of

for lhe advancement of their o\\'n ; fuppo –

fiog that, though a falre religion ought nOl tObe eflabJilh–

ed by authority, yet a true one

may ;

and accordingly

foree i, almoCl as eonfl.ntly employ<d in ,hef. caf" by

thore wllo have the power in their hands, as it is con·

flantly eompl..ined of by thoíe who fuITer the violenc<.

is certainly one of Ihe moa convincing preofs that

Jvloh;¡mmedifl1l \Vas no other Ihan a human ¡nvention.

thac it owed ils progrt:fs and d tabliíhmem almoU enlirely

to Ihe fword ; and it is one of Ihe ClrongeHdenloníl ratior,s

of lhe divine original of ChriHi.tnity. thal it prevailed aa

gaínfl all the force and powcrs of Ihe world

b.y

the mere

dint of ils own truth , after having flood the alTaults of

all manner of pr.rfeeulions, as wclJ as other

oppo~l ions.

for thrce huodrcd years togttht.r, and at lenglh motd ...

Ihe

R omnn emperors theOlfdvcs fubmit thereto : a(ter which

time. indeccl , lhis prouf f\.'cms tO faí l, Chrin¡.mity bt:ing

lhen efl.bl.lhed. and P.g.niflll .,bolilhcd. by puhlic autl,o–

rilY,

whil h

has hAd great inllueDcc: In Ihe pl op.lgattun of

the one and defl rlltlion of lhe: olher eVl'r (jnce. Hut to

return:

ivlohammcd, hó\vinn provided for the fccUl'ity of his

eompanions as wc:1I as his own, by the league offc:nfive

anel def\.'ofi \'e which he h:td now concluded

\Vid,

Ihole of

~It:dina,

di néted theOl

rcp.tir lhilher, whi

they

<lC–

eordingly . id; but himfdf with Abu B<cr 3n,1 Ali IbiJ

bchind,

ha\'illg

net yt:t rcccived

the

diviDe permifficn, as

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