count given by Ayesha. We read in his Insan Aluyun: "A tradition, which is founded upon Ayesha's testimony, says: the prophet was exceedingly oppressed, as often as the angel appeared; the sweat fell from his forehead during the coldest weather, his eyes became red, and at times he roared like a young camel."3 Zaid, an eyewitness adds: "As often as the prophet received a revelation, it was as if his soul was to be taken from him, he had a kind of fainting, and looked like a drunken man." Abu Hariri, 84 says: "when the revelation came down to Mohammed, none dared to look at him; according to another account, he was angry if any one looked at him: his face was covered with foam, his eyes were closed, and sometimes he roared like a camel."

Harith Ebn Hisham asked the Arab prophet: "In what manner dost thou receive the revelation? He answered: sometimes an angel appears in the form of a man 85 and speaks to me; sometimes I hear sounds 86 like those of a bell; then I become very bad, and when he (the angel) leaves me, I have received the revelations."87

From these facts we gather, that Mohammed

Zaid

83 Weil "Mohammed der Prophet," pag. 44. note 48. Ebn Thabit repeats the same, and adds that he was frequently attacked when riding on the camel.

84 In "Moslem's Collection of traditions".

85

Generally in that of his friend Dihja, the subsequent ambassador to the Persian Monarch.

86 Noise in the ears is one of the well-known symptoms of epilepsy.

87 See the MSS of Insan Aluyun and Chamis.

was subject to violent spasmodic attacks at various periods of his life; that he himself considered them the work of an evil spirit; that he put himself under the treatment of an exorcist; and that even after his alleged Mission he expressed his misgivings as to the nature of the demon which inspired him; and we can easily understand the reason why his countrymen constantly charged him with being possessed by a devil, even after he and his followers had persuaded themselves to the contrary. 86

Waraka, Ebn Naufal, the cousin whom Chadija had consulted, was a learned priest, converted to Christianity from Judaism "in the time of ignorance," well read in the Old and New Testament, 89 and is said to have translated the Gospel into Arabic; 9o all this explains the influence which he had

88 "Why will they not understand," he makes God complain "that there is no evil spirit in their fellow-man." Sur. VII. 183. Gagnier makes M. a hypochondriac and Noel des Vergers pag. 8 considers him mad; "atteint de folie." Others class him with Montanists, quakers and jumpers, and thus account for his alleged inspirations. Theophanes was of opinion that M. put forth the vision of an angel to hide his disease, but the disease no doubt was the cause of the vision, only in a different sense from what is commonly accepted, as will be shown towards the end of this chapter.

89

وكان ورقه قد تنصر وقرا الكتب وسمح من اهل . التوراة والانجيل فأخبرته بما أخبرها به رسول الله

Sirrat Arrusul fol. 36.

وكان يكتب العربي وفي رواية العبراني يكتب 90 بالعربية من الانجيل ما شاء الله ان يكتب وكان شيخا Chamis second leaf of the chapter “ Of the events كبيرا قد عمى

at the beginning of the prophetical mission." See also Mamizade pag. 53.

E*

agency.

with his cousin and Mohammed in removing the suspicion that his attacks were caused by satanic That Mohammed held this man in great esteem and acquired from him much of his knowledge of Judaism and Christianity is sufficiently known to require any further corroboration: and this may account for the importance, which Mohammed attached to Waraka's testimony, that he was the great prophet, who had been prophesied in the Scriptures.

In the first three years of his Mission, 91 Mohammed required his friends and relatives only, to acknowledge him as a prophet; among the first who did so, were Abubeker, a man two years his junior, Zaid, Mohammed's slave and Ali, a youth whom Abu Talib adopted during the famine, 92 who afterwards became his son-in-law. It will be remembered when Mohammed asked, who would he his Vizier or assistant to share the burden of his office, and none ventured to answer that Ali, then a mere youth, rose and spake: "I, O prophet am the man, whom thou seekest, whoever he be that shall rise up against thee, I will knock out his teeth, will tear out his eyes, will throttle him and grind his bones. Let me O prophet be thy Vizier!" This

91

Respecting the day and month of his mission, the traditions do not agree, and it is a disputed point whether the celebration of , the night of power or destiny, which falls on the twenty seventh of Ramadhan, is correct. See Lane's Modern Egypt II. pag. 238. and Abulfeda ed. Noel des Vergers pag. 107.

92 Ali was only from eight to eleven years old; some say fourteen years, at all events he was a mere lad.

shows the spirit of the youth, and explains, why Mohammed afterwards called him the "lion of God."

Among the first Moslemin may also be reckoned Arkam, in whose house their meetings were held after having been surprised and maltreated in the cave, the dwarf Abdallah Ebn Masud, and the brave Abu Ubeida. Among the women we have besides Chadija, Um Afdal, the wife of Abbas, Um Eiman or Baraka the Abyssinian, and Asma, the daughter of Abubeker. The total number of Mohammed's followers, during the first three years of his Mission, amounted scarcely to forty, mostly young people strangers and slaves, yet a beginning was made.

In the fourth, or as some state the fifth year, Mohammed resolved to go a step further and openly proclaim himself a prophet; 93 first combating the idea that he was possessed by a devil. a devil. 94 In this bold step, from which he evidently shrank for some time, he met with the most decided opposition. On one occasion when threatening his relatives with hell-fire, he was loaded in return with imprecations: and on denouncing their idols as impotent, and their fathers as having lived in a state of ignorance, he

93 To this he received a special commission: "Wherefore publish that which thou hast been commanded and withdraw from the idolaters. We will surely take thy part against the scoffers." Sur. XV. 94-99.

94 "The devils did not descend with the Koran (as the infidels give out) it is not for their purpose, neither are they able (to produce such a book) for they are far removed from hearing . . . Shall I declare unto you upon whom the devils descend? They descend upon every lying and wicked person." Sur. XXVI. 210. 211, 221. 222.

would have been strangled in the Kaaba, had not Abubeker come to his assistance.

95

Equally dangerous became the position of his followers: Mohammed therefore advised them to leave the country; consequently eleven men and four women sailed for Abyssinia, where with others who followed, they found an asylum, till Islamism became established in the Peninsula. 96

The next step taken by the enemies of Mohammed was to plot against his life, and a price of a hundred camels and 1000 ounces of silver was set upon his head: but Omar, who had undertaken to murder him, 97 when about to perpetrate the deed, relented and became a Moslem. Notwithstanding this escape Mohammed's position soon became untenable, and he was so cast down and discouraged, that either from fear or with a hope of conciliating his enemies, he made a most dangerous concession: that of restoring the idols of the Arabs to the rank of mediators between God and man. Subsequently however being reassured by the protection of his uncle he declared this concession to have been made at the instigation of Satan. 98

95 Abu Talib being no longer able to protect M. requested his connections to share the responsibility.

96 These emigrants were pursued to the coast, but managed to escape in a ship. Nor did the bribe afterwards sent to the Abyssinian prince, induce him to give them up.

97 Omar, afterwards one of the staunchest defenders of Islamism was then only twenty six years of age. On his way to murder M. he is told by a secret Moslem, that his sister Fatima was a convert; going to her he finds her learning the twentieth Sura, and the result is his own conversion.

98 The concession is alluded to Sur. XXII. 51. where Satan is