Fetching
One moment.
Fetching
One moment.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1The failure of this attempt increased the hostility of the Qurdis towards the small remnant of the Muslims who were left in Mecca. Almost alone, exposed to hourly danger and annoyance, it is not to be wondered at that Mohammed should for a moment have conceived the idea of a compromise. The chiefs of Mecca cared little for their own idols, but they cared greatly for their traffic and their prestige. If the gods in the Kaabah were false and their service vain and wicked, who would visit the holy shrine? and where would then be the commercial advantages that flowed into Mecca from the pilgrims who crowded yearly to the town ? Again, if they allowed the favourite deities of the neighbouring powerful tribes to be insulted or destroyed, how could they expect that these latter would accord safe conduct to their caravans or even allow them to pass through the territories unmolested ? Al *Huzz4, Allat, and Manat were the idols of the most important of these neighbouring tribes, and the Qurais pro- INTRODUCTION. XXVIi posed to Mohammed that he should recognise the divinity of these three deities, and promised in their turn that they would then acknowledge him to be the Apostle of Allah. ‘One day, therefore, he recited before an assembly of the Qurais the words of the Qur’4n, Chapter LIT], vers. 19, 20, and when he came to the words, ‘Have ye considered Allat and Al ‘Huzza and ManAt the other third ?’ he added, ‘ They are the two high-soaring cranes, and, verily, their intercession may be hoped for!’ When he came to the last words of the chapter, ‘Adore God then and worship !’ the Meccans prostrated themselves to the ground and worshipped as they were bidden. A great political triumph was achieved, the proud and mocking Meccans had acknowledged the truth of the revelations, the city was converted, Mohammed’s dream was realised, and he was himself the recognised Apostle of God! But at what a sacrifice! politically he had gained the position at which he aimed, but it was at the expense of his honesty and his conviction; he had belied and stultified the very doctrine for which he and his had suffered so much. The delusion did not last long; and on the morrow he hastened to recant in the most uncompromising manner, and declared, no doubt with the fullest belief in the truth of what he was saying, that Satan had put the blasphemous words in his mouth. The passage was recited afresh, and this time it read: ‘Have ye considered Allat and Al’Huzza and Mant the other third? Shall there be male offspring for Him and female for you? That, then, were an unfair division! They are but names which ye have named, ye and your fathers! God has sent down no “authority for them! Ye do but follow suspicion and what your souls lust after! And yet there has come to them guidance from their Lord!’
2That, then, were an unfair division! They are but names which ye have named, ye and your fathers! God has sent down no “authority for them! Ye do but follow suspicion and what your souls lust after! And yet there has come to them guidance from their Lord!’ This incident is denied by many of the Muslim writers, but not only are the most trustworthy histories very explicit on the subject, but it is proved by the collateral evidence that some of the exiles returned from Abyssinia XXVili THE QUR'AN. on the strength of the report that a reconciliation had been effected with the Qurais. His recantation brought upon Mohammed redoubled hate and opposition, but his family still stood firmly by him, and his life was therefore safe, for it was no light thing to incur the dread responsibility of the blood feud. The Qurdis revenged themselves by placing the family under a ban, engaging themselves in writing to contract no marriage or commercial relations. with any of them, to accord them no protection, and, in short, to hold no communication whatever with them. This document was solemnly suspended in the Kaabah itself. The result of this was more than mere social disqualification, for as they could not join the Meccan caravans, and were not rich or powerful enough to equip one of their own, they lost their very means of livelihood, and were reduced to the greatest penury and distress. Unable to contend openly with so many and such powerful foes, the whole of the Hasimi family, pagan as well as Muslim, took refuge in the si‘b or ‘ravine’ of Abu Talib, a long and narrow defile in the mountains to the east of Mecca. One man only kept aloof, and that was Abu Laheb, the uncle of the prophet, the bitterest enemy of El Islam. For two years the Hasimis lay under the ban, shut up in their ravine and only able to sally forth when the “‘Hagg pilgrimage came round and the sacred months made their persons and their property for the time inviolable. At length the Qurdis began themselves to tire of the restriction which they had imposed upon the. Hasimt clan, and were glad of an excuse for removing it. It was found that the deed on which it had been engrossed had become worm-eaten and illegible, and this being taken as an evidence of the divine disapproval of its contents, they listened to the appeal of the venerable Abu Talib and allowed the prisoners to come forth and mix once more freely with the rest of the world. The permission came none too soon, for their stores were gone and they were on the INTRODUCTION. XX1X brink of actual starvation. During the two weary years of suffering and distress Mohammed had of course made no converts amongst the people of Mecca, and few, if any, members of his own clan had joined him during their seclusion, so that his prospects were gloomier than ever.
3XX1X brink of actual starvation. During the two weary years of suffering and distress Mohammed had of course made no converts amongst the people of Mecca, and few, if any, members of his own clan had joined him during their seclusion, so that his prospects were gloomier than ever. To add to his troubles, he lost his faithful wife ‘Hadigah not long after this. Shortly afterwards he married a widow named SAudé; and later on he was betrothed to ‘Ayeshah, daughter of Abu Bekr, then a mere child, but whom he married in three years time. This woman gained a wonderful ascendancy over the prophet, and exercised considerable influence on Islam, both during and after his lifetime. On one occasion, when the party were on the move, ‘Ayeshah was left behind with a young Arab under circumstances which gave rise to'some very unpleasant rumours affecting her, and a special revelation was necessary to clear her character?. Two other women were presently added to his harim, ‘Hafza, daughter of ‘Omar, and Zainab, widow of a Muslim who had been slain at Bedr. Another marriage that he contracted gave great scandal to the faithful, namely, that with the wife, also called Zainab, of his adopted son Z4id, whom her husband divorced and offered to surrender to Mohammed on finding that the ~ latter admired her. This also required a revelation to sanction it”. His uncle and protector Abu Talib died not long after ‘Hadigah. This last loss left him without a protector, and his life would certainly have been in imminent danger had it not been that his uncle Abu Laheb, although one of the most determined opponents of the new religion, accorded him his formal protection for the sake of the family honour. ’ This, however, was shortly afterwards withdrawn, and Mohammed was left more alone and more exposed to danger than ever. In the desperate hope of finding help elsewhere he set 1 See Part I, p. 74, note 2. 2 See Chapter XXXIII, ver. 36, note. XXX THE QuR’AN. out for 7a’if, accompanied by his freedman and adopted son Zaid. From 7@if he was driven forth by the populace, who stoned him as he fled away. Wounded and exhausted, he lay down to rest in an orchard, the proprietor of which refreshed him with some grapes, and as he retraced his steps to Mecca he had a vision by the way. It appeared to him that the hosts of the ginn crowded round him, adoring God, and eager to learn from him the truths of Isl4m. Ten years had rolled by and the number of the believers was still very few and the prospects of Islam darker than they were at first, when the prophet found an unexpected support in the two tribes of El Aus and El ‘Hazrag, who had towards the end of the fifth century wrested the city of YatTurib from the Jewish tribes who held it.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
Romanised transliteration as printed by the translator, not the original script. This is what we hold.
1The failure of this attempt increased the hostility of the Qurdis towards the small remnant of the Muslims who were left in Mecca. Almost alone, exposed to hourly danger and annoyance, it is not to be wondered at that Mohammed should for a moment have conceived the idea of a compromise. The chiefs of Mecca cared little for their own idols, but they cared greatly for their traffic and their prestige. If the gods in the Kaabah were false and their service vain and wicked, who would visit the holy shrine? and where would then be the commercial advantages that flowed into Mecca from the pilgrims who crowded yearly to the town ? Again, if they allowed the favourite deities of the neighbouring powerful tribes to be insulted or destroyed, how could they expect that these latter would accord safe conduct to their caravans or even allow them to pass through the territories unmolested ? Al *Huzz4, Allat, and Manat were the idols of the most important of these neighbouring tribes, and the Qurais pro- INTRODUCTION. XXVIi posed to Mohammed that he should recognise the divinity of these three deities, and promised in their turn that they would then acknowledge him to be the Apostle of Allah. ‘One day, therefore, he recited before an assembly of the Qurais the words of the Qur’4n, Chapter LIT], vers. 19, 20, and when he came to the words, ‘Have ye considered Allat and Al ‘Huzza and ManAt the other third ?’ he added, ‘ They are the two high-soaring cranes, and, verily, their intercession may be hoped for!’ When he came to the last words of the chapter, ‘Adore God then and worship !’ the Meccans prostrated themselves to the ground and worshipped as they were bidden. A great political triumph was achieved, the proud and mocking Meccans had acknowledged the truth of the revelations, the city was converted, Mohammed’s dream was realised, and he was himself the recognised Apostle of God! But at what a sacrifice! politically he had gained the position at which he aimed, but it was at the expense of his honesty and his conviction; he had belied and stultified the very doctrine for which he and his had suffered so much. The delusion did not last long; and on the morrow he hastened to recant in the most uncompromising manner, and declared, no doubt with the fullest belief in the truth of what he was saying, that Satan had put the blasphemous words in his mouth. The passage was recited afresh, and this time it read: ‘Have ye considered Allat and Al’Huzza and Mant the other third? Shall there be male offspring for Him and female for you? That, then, were an unfair division! They are but names which ye have named, ye and your fathers! God has sent down no “authority for them! Ye do but follow suspicion and what your souls lust after! And yet there has come to them guidance from their Lord!’
2That, then, were an unfair division! They are but names which ye have named, ye and your fathers! God has sent down no “authority for them! Ye do but follow suspicion and what your souls lust after! And yet there has come to them guidance from their Lord!’ This incident is denied by many of the Muslim writers, but not only are the most trustworthy histories very explicit on the subject, but it is proved by the collateral evidence that some of the exiles returned from Abyssinia XXVili THE QUR'AN. on the strength of the report that a reconciliation had been effected with the Qurais. His recantation brought upon Mohammed redoubled hate and opposition, but his family still stood firmly by him, and his life was therefore safe, for it was no light thing to incur the dread responsibility of the blood feud. The Qurdis revenged themselves by placing the family under a ban, engaging themselves in writing to contract no marriage or commercial relations. with any of them, to accord them no protection, and, in short, to hold no communication whatever with them. This document was solemnly suspended in the Kaabah itself. The result of this was more than mere social disqualification, for as they could not join the Meccan caravans, and were not rich or powerful enough to equip one of their own, they lost their very means of livelihood, and were reduced to the greatest penury and distress. Unable to contend openly with so many and such powerful foes, the whole of the Hasimi family, pagan as well as Muslim, took refuge in the si‘b or ‘ravine’ of Abu Talib, a long and narrow defile in the mountains to the east of Mecca. One man only kept aloof, and that was Abu Laheb, the uncle of the prophet, the bitterest enemy of El Islam. For two years the Hasimis lay under the ban, shut up in their ravine and only able to sally forth when the “‘Hagg pilgrimage came round and the sacred months made their persons and their property for the time inviolable. At length the Qurdis began themselves to tire of the restriction which they had imposed upon the. Hasimt clan, and were glad of an excuse for removing it. It was found that the deed on which it had been engrossed had become worm-eaten and illegible, and this being taken as an evidence of the divine disapproval of its contents, they listened to the appeal of the venerable Abu Talib and allowed the prisoners to come forth and mix once more freely with the rest of the world. The permission came none too soon, for their stores were gone and they were on the INTRODUCTION. XX1X brink of actual starvation. During the two weary years of suffering and distress Mohammed had of course made no converts amongst the people of Mecca, and few, if any, members of his own clan had joined him during their seclusion, so that his prospects were gloomier than ever.
3XX1X brink of actual starvation. During the two weary years of suffering and distress Mohammed had of course made no converts amongst the people of Mecca, and few, if any, members of his own clan had joined him during their seclusion, so that his prospects were gloomier than ever. To add to his troubles, he lost his faithful wife ‘Hadigah not long after this. Shortly afterwards he married a widow named SAudé; and later on he was betrothed to ‘Ayeshah, daughter of Abu Bekr, then a mere child, but whom he married in three years time. This woman gained a wonderful ascendancy over the prophet, and exercised considerable influence on Islam, both during and after his lifetime. On one occasion, when the party were on the move, ‘Ayeshah was left behind with a young Arab under circumstances which gave rise to'some very unpleasant rumours affecting her, and a special revelation was necessary to clear her character?. Two other women were presently added to his harim, ‘Hafza, daughter of ‘Omar, and Zainab, widow of a Muslim who had been slain at Bedr. Another marriage that he contracted gave great scandal to the faithful, namely, that with the wife, also called Zainab, of his adopted son Z4id, whom her husband divorced and offered to surrender to Mohammed on finding that the ~ latter admired her. This also required a revelation to sanction it”. His uncle and protector Abu Talib died not long after ‘Hadigah. This last loss left him without a protector, and his life would certainly have been in imminent danger had it not been that his uncle Abu Laheb, although one of the most determined opponents of the new religion, accorded him his formal protection for the sake of the family honour. ’ This, however, was shortly afterwards withdrawn, and Mohammed was left more alone and more exposed to danger than ever. In the desperate hope of finding help elsewhere he set 1 See Part I, p. 74, note 2. 2 See Chapter XXXIII, ver. 36, note. XXX THE QuR’AN. out for 7a’if, accompanied by his freedman and adopted son Zaid. From 7@if he was driven forth by the populace, who stoned him as he fled away. Wounded and exhausted, he lay down to rest in an orchard, the proprietor of which refreshed him with some grapes, and as he retraced his steps to Mecca he had a vision by the way. It appeared to him that the hosts of the ginn crowded round him, adoring God, and eager to learn from him the truths of Isl4m. Ten years had rolled by and the number of the believers was still very few and the prospects of Islam darker than they were at first, when the prophet found an unexpected support in the two tribes of El Aus and El ‘Hazrag, who had towards the end of the fifth century wrested the city of YatTurib from the Jewish tribes who held it.
The source text as printed, transcribed diplomatically. Where the source language uses a non-Latin script that reaches us only through a Victorian romanisation, this layer is labelled transliteration, because that is what we hold.
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