56

" son of Akba Abd-ullah, the son of Sad, the son of
66 Abi Serj; all these trod the road of perverseness
" and unrighteousness." The Sonnite had no con-
venient reply to make. The Shiah continued:
" The prophet sent three friends to fight to a place
" called Tabuk-^ they disagreed: after which the
" prophet declared : • Whoever causes discord in
" ' the army or service, the curse of God be upon
" < him.'" The Sonnite here fell in: " At the time
" of the prophet's moving, it was not advisable to
" undertake the expedition designed; there was no
" disunion about the war among them ; but only a
** discussion about the fitting out of the troops and
" the arrangements; whence a delay in this affair
66 arose, on account of settling the proper order of
61 march and other proceedings/' The Shiah went
on: ** What the Sonnites attribute to God and the

1 This relates to an expedition which Muhammed undertook, in the
ninth year of theHejira (A. D. 630), towards Tabuk, a place situated
about half-way between Mad'tna and Damascus, beyond the limits of
Arabia; it was in the midst of the summer heats, at a time of great
drought and scarcity; besides the fruits were then just ripe, and the
people had much rather have remained to gather them. But the first
cause of discontent was the exaction of a tribute for C9vering the expense
of the expedition. Abubekr, Omar, Osman, AH, Talha, Abder rahmen,
contributed largely to it; others declined their pecuniary and personal
aid; three of the ans'ars, friends above alluded to (see p.27), were per-
mitted to remain. All staid at Madina as lieutenant of the prophet, who
moved with an army of thirty thousand men to the frontiers of Syria,
which were defended by an equal force of Greeks. He encamped during
twenty days near Tabuk, and then thought it necessary to retreat.