the wonted charm of his words, when three brothers, ranking among the
most noble and predominant of the Saqifs, interrupted him abruptly.
'This man hath doubtless stolen or torn the veil of the Ka'bah!'
exclaimed the first of the brothers, 'and now, having taken to his
heels, he tells ye a story about being Allah's Messenger!'--'Hath
Allah not been able to find anyone but thee?' jeered the second.--'By
Allah! I'll never have anything to do with thee!' declared the third.
'If thou art truly the Prophet of Allah, as thou dost assert, thou art
so far above me that I dare not argue with thee; and if thou art
merely an impostor, it would not be fitting that I belittle myself by
replying.'
These remarks broke the charm, and the crowd, veering round, showed
its hostility by shouting insults. The Prophet saw that there was no
hope for him in that town for the moment, and rose up to depart.
So as to make it impossible for him to renew his attempt, his
contradictors stirred up the lowest dregs of the populace against him.
Slaves and vagabonds, arrayed in a double row, awaited him on each
side of the road he was bound to take. They found amusement in stoning
his bare legs. When exhausted by his sufferings, he sat down in the
middle of the road, trying to shield his bleeding feet, his tormentors
lifted him up by the arms and continued their barbarous fun. In vain,
devoted Zayd tried to protect him by getting in front of him; the
faithful henchman was struck down by a stone that cut his face.
Staggering, falling, rising and dragging themselves along in the midst
of sneering jibes, Mohammad and his companion at last reached a garden
wall, behind which they took refuge, and dropped extenuated in the
shade of a tree covered with vine branches, leaves and grapes.
'O Allah!' cried the Prophet, 'To Thee I complain of my puny strength
and the failure of my zeal with regard to these men. O Thou! most
Compassionate and Merciful, Thou art the Lord of the weak and Thou art
my Lord! I have none but Thee on whom to lean! But if Thou be not
angry with me because I am powerless to ensure love and respect for
Thy Word, I care nothing for all the ordeals I undergo!'
The villanous mob did not dare to trespass in the garden in order to
follow up their victims. The owners of the property, charitable folks,
indignant at the scene they had just witnessed, ordered Adas, their
gardener, to gather bunches of grapes and carry a basketful to their
momentary guests.
When the inflammation of their limbs, covered with bruises, had
subsided by reason of repose in the beneficial shade; and their thirst
being quenched by the honeyed juice of the celebrated grapes of Taif,
the Prophet and his companion set out again on the road to Makkah.
[Illustration: _The Departure._ 2 views]
Foreseeing the welcome in store for him, Mohammad could not do
otherwise than claim the assistance of some influential citizen.
Halting at the cave of Mount Hira, he sent Zayd to find a protector.
After two rebuffs at the hands of Al Akhnas and Sohail, who excused
themselves, Zayd approached Muta'm bin Adiyy who, consenting to take
the responsibility on himself, armed his serving-men and posted them
in the precincts of the Ka'bah. Brought back by Zayd, Mohammad was
then enabled, thanks to the escort of this little army, to make the
seven ritual circuits before returning to his dwelling.
[Sidenote: THE NOCTURNAL JOURNEY AND ASCENSION]
"Al-Isra," the Nocturnal Journey, and "Al-Miraj" the Prophet's
Ascension, have given rise to innumerable debates between the doctors
of Islam. Some think that this miraculous journey was really,
physically accomplished; whilst others, relying on the most accredited
traditions--among which is that of Ayishah, Abu Bakr's daughter and
Mohammad's favourite wife--maintain that Mohammad's soul alone
undertook the journey, and that it should only be looked upon as a
veracious vision such as frequently came to the Prophet in his sleep.
One night, the twenty-seventh of the month of Rabi'-ul-Awwal, the
angel Jibra'il, upon whom devolved the duty of directing the heavenly
bodies, was ordered by the Almighty to increase the moon's brilliancy
by adding a part of the sun's radiance; and that of the stars by a
share of the moon's brightness, so that the firmament that night
should be resplendent with light. The Angel was then to descend to
where Mohammad was sleeping, and carry him up to Allah through the
seven zones of Heaven.
Quoth the Prophet: "I was in a deep sleep when Jibra'il appeared to
me, bringing Al-Buraq, the Prophet's usual mount. This animal
ressembled none to be found on earth. His size was greater than that
of an ass; less than that of a mule. His coat was more dazzlingly
white than snow; he had the face of a man, but was dumb. Great wings
like those of a bird allowed him to rise in the air and career through
space. His mane, tail, feathers and breast-piece were studded with
priceless precious stones that sparkled like myriads of stars.
"I got on his back and, in a twinkling, he carried me from the
"Masjidu'l-Haram" to the "Masjidu'l-Aqsa" (_i.e._ the Sacred Makkan
Temple to the faraway Temple of Jerusalem). I alighted and fastened
his bridle to the ring used by the Prophets. A man appeared in front
of me, offering a cup of milk and a cup of wine. I drank the milk and
refused the wine. Jibra'il, who had accompanied me without
outstripping me or allowing me to outrun him, approved what I had
done. 'If thou hadst preferred wine to milk,' he told me, 'thy people
would have preferred Error to Truth.'"
After visiting the Temple, the Prophet climbed up the "Sakhrah," the
Sacred Rock (on which now stands the marvellous dome of the Mosque of
Umar) which bowed down in his honour and also so as to enable him to
remount Al-Buraq. Still led by his celestial guide, he continued his
journey by ascending through the Heavens.
We need not copy the descriptions of this Ascension, or "Miraj," in
every detail. Many writers, particularly the Persians, have given a
free rein to their imagination in this connection, whilst others, more
serious, such as Ibn-i-Hisham, Ibn-i-Sad and Abul Fida, are content to
set forth an extremely simple narrative. We shall only mention
Mohammad's meeting with the Prophets known before him: Abraham, Moses
and Jesus; then his visit to the Paradise of Believers, where the
gardens honoured him by giving out sweet odours and his halt in Hell,
destined to receive Unbelievers, where the flames congealed when he
went along.
After having passed through the seven zones of the Heavens, it was not
long before he heard the scratching of pens writing in the "Book of
Fate," and the thanksgivings of the angels glorifying the Almighty.
Finally, he reached the "Sidratu'l-Muntaha," the "Lote-tree of the
Extremity." At this spot, Jibra'il left him, saying: "Here is the
boundary of Knowledge, where I am forced to halt. As for thee, O
Prince of Messengers! O friend of the Master of the Worlds! continue
thy glorious Ascension and progress in the Light of thy Lights." And
the Chosen One continued to pass through the veils covering that which
is hidden, until he reached the veil of Unity and looked upon that
which eyes cannot see, nor minds imagine. The eyes of his body would
not have been able to support the brilliancy of this sight which must
have brought on blindness. Therefore, Allah opened the eyes of
Mohammad's heart, thus permitting him to contemplate the Infinite
Splendour.
Allah bade him draw near to His throne, "_at the distance of two bows,
or even closer_" (THE QUR'AN, LIII, 9), and after having confirmed the
choice He had made in charging Mohammad to be the carrier of Good
Tidings to His servants, He fixed the number of prayers--fifty in
all--that each Believer should offer up daily to the Creator, in
gratitude for His bounty.
When the Chosen One went down, Moses met him again and questioned him.
'O Prophet of Allah! what hath our Master ordered thee with regard to
the number of prayers which His disciples should offer up?'--'Fifty
prayers during the day and the night.'--'O thou, the best of created
beings!' Moses rejoined, 'go back to our Master, and beg Him to
lighten this burden, too heavy for the weakness and laziness of
mankind.' So Mohammad went back several times into the presence of the
Master of the Worlds, until he prevailed upon Him to reduce the number
of prayers to five only.
This parable, which serves to decide definitively the number of daily
prayers, also demonstrates admirably that an excess of devotion, in
the Islamic creed, is considered to be an error. "_Allah desireth to
make your burden light to you: for man hath been created weak._" (THE
QUR'AN, IV, 32.) Why should the Almighty be in need of the prayers of
mankind? "_We ask not of Thee to make provision for thyself--We will
provide for Thee._" (THE QUR'AN, XX, 132.)
Allah has sent prayer to His servants as one of His most salutary
favours. Five times daily, devotion brings absolute rest to Believers;
that is to say, complete interruption of the feelings that stir them,
whether an excess of joy leading to ruin in the aberrations of
debauchery, or an excess of sadness causing them to perish in the
madness of despair. Five times daily, prayer forces them by its
accompanying ablutions, to call to mind the cleanliness of the body,
at the same time as the purity of the soul.
The day after his vision, the Prophet, beaming with delight, was met
by his mortal enemy, Abu Jahal, who addressed him ironically: 'O
Mohammad! hast thou not one of those marvellous tales which we are
used to hear from thee to tell us this morning?'--'Indeed I have!'
replied the Prophet. 'Between yesternight and this morning I have been
to Jerusalem and back.'--'Gather round quickly, O Quraish! Hasten and
hearken to the wonderful adventure of the nocturnal journey undertaken
by Mohammad!' shouted Abu Jahal.
The crowd soon grew, and the Prophet gave out the narrative we have
just set forth. Most of his hearers, belonging to the clan of the
idol-worshippers, followed the example of their chieftain and received
it with outbursts of the coarsest merriment. Some clapped their hands;
others held their heads in their hands as if to stop their brains from
bursting. As for the Believers, one party was undecided whether to put
faith in the story or not; and the remainder, unsettled by the
attitude of the public, dared not manifest their confidence openly.
Profiting by the confusion, Abu Jahal hastened to speak to Abu Bakr.
'Maybe thou dost not know the last extraordinary adventure of thy
Prophet? He pretends to have accomplished in the night the journey
from the "Holy Temple" of Makkah to the "Faraway Temple" of
Jerusalem--there and back!' Abu Jahal was full of glee, in
anticipation, at the thought of the vexation and bewilderment which
were sure to be seen in the face of his fellow-citizen.
Contrary to Abu Jahal's expectations, however, Abu Bakr replied
without uneasiness: 'Whatever Mohammad asserts is true and I believe
it. If he maintains that he went up to the seventh Heaven in an hour
and came back in the same space of time, I should still have faith in
his declarations.'
Such dependable testimony caused the Faithful to take heart; thus it
turned out that Abu Jahal, by trying to instil incredulity in men's
minds, only succeeded in strengthening their beliefs. Desirous of
catching the Prophet redhanded as a cheat, Abu Jahal interrogated him
concerning the Temple of Jerusalem, calling on him for a description
thereof. But he was utterly routed when Mohammad, whom his foe thought
had never set foot in Jerusalem, except during this nocturnal vision,
described the city in all its peculiarities and with great accuracy,
endorsed by all among those assembled who had ever undertaken that
journey.
Therefore the Believers, their faith revived, hastened to put on the
five "Garments of Purity," which means that they offered up the five
prayers brought down to them from Heaven by the Prophet.
[Sidenote: HOW SIX INHABITANTS OF YASRIB WERE CONVERTED (_A.D. 620_)]
Towards the end of the year, Usman ibn Affan and his wife Ruqaiyah
returned from Abyssinia, accompanied by a few emigrants, among whom,
one of them, called Sukran, died on arrival. The Prophet married his
widow, Sauda, daughter of Zoma, thus rewarding the zeal of one of the
first female converts to Islam, who had so valiantly undergone the
ordeals of persecution and exile.
Wishing, in the same way, to show his appreciation of the unchanging
devotion of Abu Bakr, the Veracious, and to bind him still closer by a
matrimonial alliance, the Prophet, at the same epoch, espoused his
daughter Ayishah, although she had barely reached the age of ten. But,
in her case, the marriage was not consummated until many years later,
at Al-Madinah, after the Hegira.
Despite Abu Bakr's energetic affirmations; despite the strengthening
of the Believers' zeal by the rule of the five prayers, the story of
the Nocturnal Ascension was far from being advantageous to the cause
of Islam. The narrative, on the contrary, furnished its enemies with
an opportunity of petty triumph, enabling them to pile up fresh
mockery and institute greater persecution.
The case would have seemed hopeless to any other but Mohammad. He knew
not what it meant to be discouraged, feeling certain that the Almighty
would never abandon His Apostle to whom He had revealed the following
verses: "_Say: I betake me for refuge to the Lord of Men, * The King
of Men, * Allah of Men * Against the mischief of the stealthily
withdrawing whisperer (Satan) * Who hides himself at the Name of
Allah, * Who whispereth in man's breast against Jinn and men._" (THE
QUR'AN, CXIV, 16.)
Postponing for the time being the conversion of the Makkans, the
Prophet turned his attention towards Arab strangers in the town,
attracted in great crowds by the ceremonies of the pilgrimage to the
Ka'bah and the ritual circuits. During the fair that was held at that
time, he went untiringly from group to group. But, just as
indefatigable, close behind, was his uncle, Abu Lahab, who, as soon as
he saw the Prophet in the centre of a ring of men, would call out
loudly to them: 'Hearken not to that man! His sole thought is to tear
the cult of Lat and Uzza from out of your hearts; and trick ye all
with the insane doctrines that he pretends it is his Mission to
preach.'
These words aroused the Arabs' suspicions, and they turned away from
Mohammad with remarks after this fashion: 'Thy fellow-citizens know
thee better than we, so begin by convincing them!' Or else: 'If Allah
should cause thee to triumph, thy glory will not profit us, but only
thy party. Therefore, it is not to our advantage to ally ourselves to
thee.'
These rebuffs had no effect on the Prophet. No sooner did any
noteworthy person arrive in Makkah than Mohammad sought his presence
at once.
One day, on the hill of Aqabah, he went up to a group of six men,
fresh arrivals, and with his usual politeness, he addressed them thus:
'What are you, O my good Lords?'--'We are of the Khazraj
tribe.'--'Masters over the Jews settled in Yasrib, methinks?'--'We are
indeed their masters.'--'Will ye not sit down here awhile, so that I
may speak with you?'--'Willingly.'
They sat by his side, and he tried to gather them into the fold of
Islam by reciting verses of the Qur'an. Charmed by his eloquence and
the novelty of his words, the Khazraj men listened attentively and
paused to reflect.
The Jews, inhabiting their land and bent beneath their yoke, were
folks well versed in the knowledge of Holy Writ. Thus it was that
whenever disagreement arose between them and their masters, these
children of Israel were wont to murmur: 'We await the coming of a
Prophet. When his hour arrives, we shall all follow him and thanks to
his assistance, we shall triumph over you and become your masters in
our turn.' Whilst Mohammad spoke unto the tribesmen, they exchanged
glances and came to this conclusion: 'Evidently this is the Prophet
whose advent is threatened by the Jews. We must not let them forestall
us with him.'
So they replied to his appeal, saying: 'Our land is made desolate by
perpetual war waged between us and our Arab brothers, the Aus tribe.
We will go to them, and call their attention to thy cause and thy
religion. If through thee, Allah should reconcile and unite us, there
will not be in all Arabia a man more powerful than thee!'
[Sidenote: THE TWO OATHS OF THE AQABAH (_A.D. 621_)]
The new converts kept their word and spread Mohammad's doctrines in
their region. The following year, twelve Mussulmans from Yasrib, ten
being of the Khazraj and two belonging to the Aus, arrived in Makkah
for the Mausam rejoicings. They met the Prophet on the Aqabah and took
an oath of fidelity towards him. With a view to completing their
religious education and making fresh converts, Mohammad delegated
Musab ibn Umr, one of his most learned disciples, who went away with
them.
In Yasrib, the Islamic creed did not meet with the difficulties that
hampered its progress in Makkah, where it was harmful to the interests
of the exploiters of the idols. Musab's task turned out to be
particularly easy, and the "Permanent Miracle" of the Surahs of the
Qur'an, recited by him, produced its effect with lightning-like
rapidity. Resembling a beneficial rainstorm which might have broke, in
a few minutes, over every part of a country suffering from drought,
restoring life and fertility, Islam had diffused its wholesome dew
over every district of the town, calming dissensions and causing the
virtues necessary for its triumph to take root and flourish in the
citizens' hearts.
Soon there was not a single family among the Aus or the Khazraj which
did not count several Believers among its members. Musab, who had good
reasons to be proud of the result of his mission, returned to Makkah
to report progress to Mohammad. When the date of the pilgrimage came
due, seventy-five Mussulmans, two being women, joined the caravan of
their fellow-citizens who were still idolaters. The converts, full of
zeal, arranged to meet the Prophet on the Aqabah, during the night
preceding the second day of Tashriq, in order to offer a safe place of
refuge in their city, for him and his disciples.
Ka'b ibn Malik, one of the pilgrims, has said: "We made up our minds
to keep our movements secret from our idolatrous fellow-citizens,
among whom we slept until one third of the night was passed. We then
went out, one after another, stealthily, making our way, slowly and
silently, towards a pass on the slopes of the Aqabah, where we all met
together to await the Prophet. He soon arrived, accompanied by his
uncle Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib.
"He had not yet abjured the religion of his ancestors, but he had
great affection for his nephew from whom he wished to ward off all
misfortune, following the example of his brother, Abu Talib. Having
been informed of the plans of the people of Yasrib, Abbas wanted to
see for himself what amount of confidence Mohammad could have in their
proposals. Abbas was the first to address the meeting and spoke as
follows: 'O Assembly of the Khazraj and the Aus! my brother's son, as
ye know, holds high rank among us, and although we do not share his
convictions, we have hitherto protected him against his
fellow-citizens. In our "qawm" he finds honour and safety.
Nevertheless, at the present hour, he turns towards you, and desires
to settle in your midst. Reflect! if ye decide to remain faithful to
your promises and shield him from all dangers whatsoever, it will be
well. But should ye fear to be forced one day to throw him over, and
give him into the hands of his enemies, it would be better, now at
once, to confess that your purpose is not steadfast by withdrawing
your proposals and leaving him with his own party.'
"Without the slightest hesitation, we answered Abbas: 'Thou hast heard
what we proposed. Thou canst rely on us absolutely!' Then we turned to
Mohammad: 'Speak, O Prophet! What dost thou want of us, for thy Lord
and for thyself?'
"After having recited a few Surahs and recapitulated the fundamental
principles of Islam, the Prophet added: 'Swear that ye will fight to
defend me and my disciples, as ye would fight to defend your wives and
children.'
"We took the required oath with unanimous enthusiasm: 'By Allah! we
are war-children, and our fathers have taught us how to manufacture
all weapons!'--'O Prophet!' broke in Abul Hasham, 'there exists a
compact, between the Jews of Yasrib and us, which we shall have to
break, perhaps, in order to uphold thy cause. What would be our
position, in our land, if, after being victorious thanks to us, thou
didst go back to thy "qawm"?'
"The Prophet smiled and protested: 'Rest easy on that score! Your
blood hath become my blood and your honour, my honour. He who wrongeth
you, wrongeth me. I'll fight the enemies you fight, and support whom
ye support; ye are mine and I am yours! Choose then twelve Najibs
among you as leaders.'
"After having consulted together, we chose nine Khazraj and three Aus.
When we brought the twelve men to him, he said: 'Ye shall be my
delegates in your "qawm," as were the apostles of Jesus, son of Mary,
among their people.'
"The Najibs pledged their words; but, just as the solemn oath was
about to be sworn, Ibn-i-Ubadah rose and said: 'O Assembly of the
Khazraj and Aus! have ye reflected seriously anent the consequences of
the compact ye intend to make with this man? For his sake ye swear to
go to war with white, swarthy and black men. But if, in days to come,
seeing your property pillaged and your nobles massacred, ye were to
forsake him, shame would be brought upon you in this world and the
next.'--'We are resigned in anticipation to the loss of our property
and to the death of our best men, if such a sacrifice is useful for
the cause of Islam,' we replied unhesitatingly, 'but may we ask the
Prophet what we shall receive in exchange?' He replied: 'Paradise!'
"_Who, from desire to behold the face of their Lord, are constant amid
trials, and observe prayer, and give alms in secret and openly out of
what We have bestowed upon them and turn aside evil by good: for these
is the recompense of the abode * Gardens of Eden--into which they
shall enter together with the just of their fathers, and their wives,
and their descendants: and the angels shalt go in unto them at every
portal: * Peace be upon you! say they, because ye have patiently
endured! * And charming is the recompense of the Abode!_
"_So oft as they are fed therefrom with fruit for sustenance, they
shall say, 'This same was our sustenance of eld!' But they will only
resemble those of earth, being infinitely more delicious ... * And
theirs shall be the Houris with large black eyes like close-kept
pearls ... * No vain discourse shall they hear therein, nor charge of
sin * We will remove whatever rancour was in their hearts ... and they
shall say 'Praise be to Allah who hath guided us hither.' *_
"_And other things which ye desire will He bestow: Help from Allah and
greedy conquest! ... * O ye who believe! be ansars of Allah! (i.e.
helpers, soldiers.)_ (THE QUR'AN, XIII, 22, 23, 24. II, 23. LVI, 22,
24. VII, 41. LXI, 13, 14.)"
"When they heard these promises of inconceivable bliss in Paradise,
announced by such tokens as are understood by mortals' weak brains,
the Faithful felt their souls filled with hope and said to the
Prophet: 'Stretch out thine hand!' Mohammad offered his hand, opened
out, the palm turned upwards; and Asad ibn Zarara came and struck it
with his right hand, followed by Abul Hisham and Al Bara; and, one
after the other, all the Yasrib pilgrims, who from that day forth
called themselves, "Ansars."
"We were getting ready to return furtively to our encampment, our
hearts brimming over with joy and hope, when, in the silence of the
night, on the summit of the Aqabah, a voice resounded, the most shrill
I had ever heard. 'O Assembly of the Quraish!' it shouted, 'be on your
guard! The sons of the Khazraj and Aus have sworn to fall upon you
with the sword!'
"We shuddered, but the Prophet removed our fears by saying: 'That is
the voice of the demon of the Aqabah which means that Iblis (Satan) is
shrieking. He is Allah's enemy, and his cry has not been heard by any
of our adversaries.' We returned to our tents, where we found our
fellow-citizens sleeping soundly, suspecting naught of that which had
taken place.