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THE 


SPEECHES  &  TABLE-TALK 


OF    THE 


PROPHET  MOHAMMAD 


^f)O0en  anti  Sranslaten,  toitf)  Ifntrotiuction  anti  J75ote0, 


BY 


STANLEY   LANE-POOLE 


•■r^m'ffmf^w^'' 


MACMILLAN    AND    CO. 
1882 


GOD  I  THERE  IS  NO  GOD  BUT  HE,  THE  LIVING,  THE 
STEADFAST!  SLUMBER  SEIZETH  HIM  NOT,  NOR  SLEEP. 
WHATSOEVER  IS  IN  THE  HEAVENS,  AND  WHATSOEVER  IS 
IN  THE  EARTH,  IS  HIS.  WHO  IS  THERE  THAT  SHALL 
PLEAD  WITH  HIM  SAVE  BY  HIS  LEAVE?  HE  KNOWETH 
WHAT  WAS  BEFORE  THEM  AND  WHAT  SHALL  COME 
AFTER  THEM,  AND  THEY  COMPASS  NOT  AUGHT  OF  HIS 
KNOWLEDGE,  BUT  WHAT  HE  WILLETH.  HIS  THRONE 
OVERSPREADETH  THE  HEAVENS  AND  THE  EARTH,  AND 
THE  KEEPING  OF  BOTH  IS  NO  BURDEN  TO  HIM:  AND  HE 
IS   THE  HIGH,    THE  GREAT! 

THE  THRONE  VERSE,  ii.  256. 


^  DEC   7   18S5  "^ 

>  A 


£'Oi';cal?^e'?^ 


"■■JW  ■»!  .K,-!. 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  aim  of  this  little  volume  is  to  present  all  that 
is  most  enduring  and  memorable  in  the  public 
orations  and  private  sayings  of  the  prophet 
Mohammad  in  such  a  form  that  the  general 
reader  may  be  tempted  to  learn  a  little  of  what  a 
great  man  was  and  of  what  made  him  great.  At 
present,  it  must  be  allowed  that  although  "  Auld 
Mahound  "  is  a  household  word,  he  is  very  little 
more  than  a  word.  Things  are  constantly  being 
said,  written,  and  preached  about  the  Arab  prophet 
and  the  religion  he  taught,  of  which  an  elementary 
acquaintance  with  him  would  show  the  absurdity. 
No  one  would  dare  to  treat  the  ordinary  classics 
of  European  literature  in  this  fashion  ;  or,  if  he 
did,  his  exposure  would  immediately  ensue.  What 
I  wish  to  do  is  to  enable  any  one,  at  the  cost  of 
the  least  possible  exertion,  to  put  himself  into  a 
position    to    judge    of    popular     fallacies     about 

d 


vi  INTRODUCTION. 

Mohammad  and  his  creed  as  surely  and  certainly 
as  he  can  judge  of  errors  in  ordinary  education 
and  scholarship.  I  do  not  wish  to  mention  the 
Koran  by  name  more  than  can  be  helped,  for  I  have 
observed  that  the  word  has  a  deterrent  effect  upon 
readers  who  like  their  literary  food  light  and  easy 
of  digestion.  It  cannot,  however,  be  disguised 
that  a  great  deal  of  this  book  consists  of  the 
Koran,  and  it  may  therefore  be  as  well  to  explain 
away  as  far  as  possible  the  prejudice  which  the 
ill-fated  name  is  apt  to  excite.  It  is  not  easy  to 
say  for  how  much  of  this  prejudice  the  standard 
English  translator  is  responsible.  The  patient 
and  meritorious  George  Sale  put  the  Koran  into 
tangled  English  and  heavy  quarto, — people  read 
quartos  then  and  did  not  call  them  editions  de 
luxe,  —  his  version  then  appeared  in  a  clumsy 
octavo,  with  most  undesirable  type  and  paper ; 
finally  it  has  come  out  in  a  cheap  edition,  of  which 
it  need  only  be  said  that  utility  rather  than  taste 
has  been  consulted.  One  can  hardly  blame  any 
one  for  refusing  to  look  even  at  the  outsides  of 
these  volumes.  And  the  inside, — not  the  mere  out- 
ward inside,  if  I  may  so  say,  the  type  and  paper, — 
but  the  heart  of  hearts,  the  matter  itself,  is  by  no 
means  calculated  to  tempt  a  reluctant  reader. 
The    Koran   is   there   arranged    according   to   the 


INTRODUCTION.  vii 


orthodox  form,  instead  of  in  chronologfcal  order, — 
it  must  be  allowed  that  the  chronological  order 
was  not  discovered  in  Sale's  time, — and  the  result 
is  that  impression  of  chaotic  indefiniteness  which 
impressed  Carlyle  so  strongly,  and  which  Carlyle 
has  impressed  upon  most  of  the  present  generation. 
A  large  disorderly  collection  of  prophetic  rhapsody 
did  not  prove  inviting,  as  the  state  of  popular 
knowledge  about  Mohammad  very  clearly  shows. 

The  attitude  of  the  multitude  towards  Sale's 
Koran  was  on  the  whole  reasonable.  But  if  the 
faults  that  were  found  there  are  shown  to  belong 
to  Sale  and  not  to  the  Koran,  or  only  partly  to  it, 
the  attitude  should  change.  In  the  first  place,  the  \ 
Koran  is  not  a  large  book,  and  in  the  second,  it  is 
by  no  means  so  disorderly  and  anarchic  as  is 
commonly  supposed.  Reckoned  by  the  number 
of  verses,  the  Koran  is  only  two-thirds  of  the 
length  of  the  New  Testament,  or,  if  the  wearisome 
stories  of  the  Jewish  patriarchs  which  Mohammad 
told  and  retold  are  omitted,  it  is  no  more  than  the 
Gospels  and  Acts.  It  has  been  remarked  that  the 
Sunday  edition  of  the  New  York  He?^ald  is  three 
times  as  long.  But  the  real  permanent  contents 
of  the  Koran  may  be  taken  at  far  less  even  than 
this  estimate.  The  book  is  full — I  will  not  say  of 
{  vain  repetitions,  for  in  teaching  and  preaching  re-  I 


viii  INTRODUCTION. 

petition  is  necessary — but  of  reiterations  of  certain 
cardinal  articles  of  faith,  and  certain  standard  de- 
monstrations of  these  articles  by  the  analogy  of 
nature.  Like  the  numerous  stories  borrowed  by 
Mohammad  from  the  Talmud,  which  have  little 
but  an  antiquarian  interest,  many  of  these  re- 
iterated arguments  and  illustrations  may  with  ad- 
vantage be  passed  over.  There  is  also  a  consider- 
able portion  of  the  Koran  which  is  devoted  to 
the  exposure  and  confutation  of  those  who,  from 
political,  commercial,  or  religious  motives,  made 
it  their  business  to  thwart  Mohammad  in  his  efforts 
to  reform  his  people.  These  personal,  one  might 
say  party,  speeches  are  valuable  only  to  the 
biographer  and  historian  of  the  times.  They 
throw  but  little  light  on  the  character  of  the  man 
Mohammad  himself.  They  show  him,  indeed,  to 
be  —  what  we  knew  him  before  —  a  sensitive, 
irritable  man,  keenly  alive  to  ridicule  and  scorn. 
But  for  this  purpose  one  instance  is  sufficient. 
We  do  not  form  our  estimate  of  a  great  statesman 
from  his  moments  of  irritation,  but  from  those 
larger  utterances  which  reveal  the  results  of  a 
life's  study  of  men  and  government.  So  with 
Mohammad,  we  may  abandon  the  personal  and 
temporary  element  in  the  Koran,  and  base  our 
judgment  upon   those  utterances   which  stand  for 


INTRODUCTION.  ix 

all  time,  and  deal  not  with  individuals  or  classes, 
but  with  man  as  he  is,  in  Arabia  or  England,  or 
where  we  will.  This  position  is  not  taken  with 
the  object  of  saving  Mohammad  from  himself. 
His  attacks  upon  his  opponents  will  bear  com- 
parison with  those  of  other  statesmen.  They  are 
doubtless  couched  in  more  barbaric  language  than 
we  are  accustomed  to,  and  where  we  insinuate, 
Mohammad  curses  outright.  But  in  the  face  of  a 
treacherous  and  malignant  opposition,  the  Arabian 
prophet  comported  himself  with  singular  self- 
restraint.  He  only  threatened  hell  -  fire,  and 
people  of  all  denominations  are  still  threatened 
with  that  every  Sunday,  to  say  nothing  of  Lent. 
Leaving  out  the  Jewish  stories,  needless  repetitions, 
and  temporary  exhortations  or  personal  vindica- 
tions, the  speeches  of  Mohammad  may  be  set  forth 
in  very  moderate  compass.  One  speech — stif'a,  or 
chapter,  as  it  is  generally  called — follows  another 
so  much  to  the  same  effect,  that  a  limited  number 
will  be  found  to  contain  all  the  ideas  which  a 
minute  study  of  the  whole  Koran  could  collect. 
I  believe  there  is  nothing  important,  either  in 
doctrine  or  style,  which  is  not  contained  in  the 
twenty-eight  speeches  which  fill  the  first  hundred 
and  thirty  pages  of  this  small  volume.  If  I  were 
a  Mohammadan,  I  think  I  could  accept  the  present 


X  INTRODUCTION. 

collection  as  a  sufficient  representation  of  what  the 
Koran  teaches. 

The  obscurity  of  the  Koran  is  largely  due  to  its 
ordinary  arrangement.  This  consists  merely  in 
^  putting  the  longest  chapters  first  and  the  shortest 
last.  The  Mohammadans  appear  to  be  contented 
with  this  curious  order,  which  after  all  is  not 
more  remarkable  than  that  of  some  other  sacred 
books.  German  criticism,  however,  has  discovered 
the  method  of  arranging  the  Koran  in  approxi- 
mately chronological  sequence.  To  explain  how 
this  is  established  would  carry  me  too  far,  but  the 
results  are  certain.  We  can  state  positively  that 
the  chapters  of  the  Koran — or,  as  I  prefer  to  call 
them,  the  speeches  of  Mohammad — fall  into  cer- 
tain definite  chronological  groups,  and  if  we 
cannot  arrange  each  individual  speech  in  its 
precise  place,  we  can  at  least  tell  to  which  group, 
extending  over  but  few  years,  it  belongs.  The 
effect  of  this  critical  arrangement  is  to  throw  a 
perfectly  clear  light  on  the  development  of  Moham- 
mad's teaching,  and  the  changes  in  his  style  and 
method.  When  the  Koran  is  thus  arranged — as 
it  is  in  Mr.  Rodwell's  charming  version,  which 
deserves  to  be  better  read  than  it  is — the  impres- 
sion of  anarchy  disappears,  and  we  see  only  the 
growth  of  a  remarkable  mind,  the  alternations  of 


INTRODUCTION.  xi 

weakness  and  strength  in  a  gifted  soul,  the  inevit- 
able inconsistencies  of  a  great  man.  I  do  not 
believe  any  one  who  reads  the  speeches  of 
Mohammad  as  I  have  arranged  them  in  Professor 
Noldeke's  chronological  order  will  say  that  they 
have  no  definite  aim  or  coherence.  They  may 
be  monotonous,  and  often  they  are  rambling, 
but  their  intention  and  sequence  of  thought  are 
to  me  clear  as  noonday. 

It  is  something  more,  however,  than  any 
supposed  length  or  obscurity  that  has  hitherto 
scared  people  from  the  Koran.  The  truth  is  that 
the  atmosphere  of  our  Arabian  prophet's  thoughts 
is  so  different  from  what  we  breathe  ourselves,  that  it 
needs  a  certain  effort  to  transplant  ourselves  into  it. 
That  it  can  be  done,  and  done  triumphantly,  may 
be  proved  by  Mr.  Browning's  Said,  as  Semitic  a 
poem  as  ever  came  from  the  desert  itself.  We 
see  the  whole  life  and  character  of  the  Bedawy  in 
these  lines  : — 

Oh,  our  manhood's  prime  vigour  !     No  spirit  feels  waste, 
Not  a  muscle  is  stopped  in  its  playing  nor  sinew  unbraced. 
Oh,  the  wild  joys  of  living  !  the  leaping  from  rock  unto  rock, 
The  strong  rending  of  boughs  from  the  fir-tree,  the  cool  silver  shock 
Of  the  plunge  in  the  pool's  living  water,  the  hunt  of  the  bear, 
And  the  sultriness  showing  the  lion  is  couched  in  his  lair. 
And  the  meal,  the  rich  dates  yellowed  over  with  gold  dust  divine, 
And  the  locust  flesh  steeped  in  the  pitcher,  the  deep  draught  of 
wine, 


xii  INTRODUCTION. 

And  the  sleep  in  the  dried  river-channel,  where  bulrushes  tell 
That  the  water  was  wont  to  go  warbling  so  softly  and  well. 
How  good  is  man's  life,  the  mere  living  !  how  fit  to  employ 
All  the  heart  and  the  soul  and  the  senses  for  ever  in  joy. 

It  is  not  easy  to  catch  the  Arab  spirit  as  Mr. 
Browning  has  caught  it.  Arab  poetry  is  a  sealed 
book  to  most,  even  among  special  Orientalists ; 
they  construe  it,  but  it  does  not  move  them.  The 
cause  is  to  be  found  in  the  abrupt  transition  of 
'thought  which  is  required  if  we  would  enter  into 
the  spirit  of  desert  song.  The  Arab  stands  in 
direct  contrast  to  ourselves  of  the  north.  He  is 
not  in  the  least  like  an  Englishman.  His  mind 
travels  by  entirely  different  routes  from  ours,  and 
his  body  is  built  up  of  much  more  inflammable 
materials.  His  free  desert  air  makes  him  im- 
patient of  control  in  a  degree  which  we  can 
scarcely  understand  in  an  organised  community.  It 
is  difficult  now  to  conceive  a  nation  without  cabinets 
and  secretaries  of  State  and  policemen,  yet  to 
the  Arab  these  things  were  not  only  unknown  but 
inconceivable.  He  lived  the  free  aimless  satisfied 
life  of  a  child.  He  was  supremely  content  with 
the  exquisite  sense  of  simple  existence,  and  was 
happy  because  he  lived.  Throughout  a  life  that 
was  full  of  energy,  of  passion,  of  strong  endeavour 
after  his  ideal  of  desert  perfectness,  there  was  yet 
a  restful  sense  of  satisfied  enjoyment,  a  feeling  that 


INTRODUCTION.  xiii 

life  was  of  a  surety  well  worth  living.  What  his 
ideal  was,  and  how  different  from  any  of  the  ideals 
of  to-day,  we  know  from  his  own  poetry.  It  was 
not  in  the  gentler  virtues  that  he  prided  himself: — 

Had  I  been  a  son  of  Mazin,  there  had  not  phnidered  my  herds 

the  sons  of  the  child  of  the  dust,  Dhuhl,  son  of  Sheyban. 
There  had  straightway  arisen  to  help  me  a  heavy-handed  kin, 

good  smiters  when  help  is  needed,  though  the  feeble  bend  to  the 
blow : 
Men  who,  when  Evil  bares  before  them  his  hindmost  teeth, 

fly  gaily  to  meet  him  in  companies  or  alone. 
They  ask  not  their  brother,  when  he  lays  before  them  his  wrong 

in  his  trouble,  to  give  them  proof  of  the  truth  of  what  he  says. 

But  as  for  my  people,  though  their  number  be  not  small, 

they  are  good  for  naught  against  evil,  however  light  it  be  ; 
They  requite  with  forgiveness  the  wrong  of  those   that  do  them 
wrong, 

and  the  evil  deeds  of  the  evil  they  meet  with  kindness  and  love  ! 
As  though  thy  Lord  had  created  among  the  sons  of  men 

themselves  alone  to  fear  him,  and  never  one  man  more. 
Would  that  I  had  in  their  stead  a  folk  who,  when  they  ride  forth, 

strike  swiftly  and  hard,  on  horse  or  on  camel  borne  ! 

The  ideal  warrior,  however,  is  not  always  so 
fierce  as  this,  as  may  be  seen  in  the  following 
lament  for  a  departed  hero,  where  a  gentler  touch 
mingles  in  its  warlike  manHness  : — 

But  know  ye  if  Abdallah  be  gone,  and  his  place  a  void  ? 

no  weakling,  unsure  of  hand,  and  no  holder-back  was  he  ! 
Alert,  keen,  his  loins  well  girt,  his  leg  to  the  middle  bare, 

unblemished  and  clean  of  limb,  a  climber  to  all  things  high  : 
No  waller  before  ill-luck,  one  mindful  in  all  he  did, 

to  think  how  his  work  to-day  would  live  in  to-morrow's  tale. 
Content  to  bear  hunger's  pain,  though  meat  lay  beneath  his  hand, 

to  labour  in  ragged  shirt  that  those  whom  he  served  might  rest. 


xiv  INTRODUCTION. 

If  Dearth  laid  her  hand  on  him,  and  Famine  devoured  his  store, 
he  gave  but  the  gladlier  what  little  to  him  they  spared. 

He  dealt  as  a  youth  with  Youth,  until,  when  his  head  grew  hoar, 
and  age  gathered  o'er  his  brow,  to  Lightness  he  said — Begone  ! 

The  fierceness  of  the  Arab  warrior  was 
tempered  by  those  virtues  in  which  more  civiHsed 
nations  are  found  wanting.  If  he  was  swift  to 
strike,  the  Arab  was  also  prompt  to  succour,  ready 
to  give  shelter  and  protection  even  to  his  worst 
enemy.  The  hospitality  of  the  Arab  is  a  proverb, 
but  unlike  many  proverbs  it  is  strictly  true.  The 
last  milch-camel  must  be  killed  rather  than  the 
duties  of  the  host  neglected.  The  chief  of  a  clan 
— not  necessarily  the  richest  man  in  it,  but  the 
strongest  and  wisest — set  the  example  in  all  Arab 
virtues,  and  his  tent  was  so  placed  in  the  camp 
that  it  was  the  first  the  enemy  would  attack,  and 
also  the  first  that  the  wayworn  traveller  would 
approach.  Beacons  were  lighted  hard  by  to  guide 
wanderers  to  the  hospitable  haven,  and  any  man, 
of  whatever  condition,  who  came  to  the  Arab 
nobleman's  tent  and  said,  "  I  throw  myself  on  your 
honour,"  was  safe  from  pursuit  even  at  the  cost  of 
his  host's  life.  Honour,  like  hospitality,  meant 
more  than  it  does  now  ;  and  the  Arab  chieftain's 
pledge  of  welcome  meant  protection,  unswerving 
fidelity,  help,  and  succour.  Like  his  pride  of 
birth,  devotion  to  the  clan,  courage,  and  generosity, 


INTRODUCTION.  xv 

this  hospitable  trusty  friendship  of  the  Arab  be- 
longs no  doubt  to  the  barbarous  virtues  of  the  old 
world  ;  but  it  is  just  these  parts  of  barbarism  which 
civilisation  might  profitably  emulate. 

As  a  friend  and  as  an  enemy  there  was  no 
ambiguity  about  the  Arab.  In  both  relations  he 
was  frank,  generous,  and  fearless.  And  the  same 
may  be  said  of  his  love.  The  Arab  of  the  Days 
of  Ignorance,  as  Mohammadans  style  the  time 
before  the  birth  of  their  prophet,  was  the  fore- 
runner of  the  best  side  of  medigeval  chivalry,  which 
indeed  is  forced  to  own  an  Arabian  origin.  The 
Arab  chief  was  as  much  a  knight-errant  in  love  as 
he  was  a  chivalrous  opponent  in  fight.  The  posi- 
tion of  the  women  of  i\rabia  before  the  coming  of 
Mohammad  has  often  been  commiserated.  That 
women  were  probably  held  in  low  esteem  in  the 
town-life  which  formed  an  important  factor  in  the 
Arabian  polity  is  probably  true  ;  savage  virtues  are 
apt  to  disappear  in  the  civilised  society  of  cities. 
But  poetry  is  a  good  test  of  a  nation's  character, 
— not,  perhaps,  of  a  highly  civilised  nation,  for  then 
affectation  and  the  vogue  come  into  play, — but 
undoubtedly  of  a  partly  savage  nation,  where 
poets  only  say  what  they  and  their  fellow  men  feel. 
Arabian  poetry  is  full  of  a  chivalrous  reverence  for 
women.     Allowing  for  difference  of  language  and 


xvi  INTRODUCTION. 

the  varieties  of  human  nature,  it  is  much  more 
reverent  than  a  great  deal  of  the  poetry  of  our  own 
country  to-day.  In  the  old  days,  says  an  ancient 
writer,  the  true  Arab  had  but  one  love,  and  her 
he  loved  till  death.  The  Bedawy  or  Arab  of 
the  desert,  though  he  was  not  above  a  certain 
amount  of  gallantry  of  a  romantic  and  exciting 
order,  regarded  women  as  divinities  to  be  wor- 
shipped, not  as  chattels  to  possess.  The  poems 
are  full  of  instances  of  the  courtly  respect,  "  full 
of  state  and  ancientry,"  displayed  by  the  heroes 
of  the  desert  towards  defenceless  maidens,  and 
the  mere  existence  of  so  general  an  ideal  of  conduct 
in  the  poems  is  a  strong  argument  for  Arab  chiv- 
alry ;  for  with  the  Arabs  the  abyss  between  the 
ideal  accepted  of  the  mind  and  the  attaining  thereof 
in  action  was  narrower  than  it  is  among  more 
advanced  nations.  We  remember  the  story  of 
An  tar,  the  Bayard  of  pagan  Arabia,  who  gave  his 
life  to  guard  some  helpless  women  ;  and  recall 
these  verses  of  Muweylik,  which  breathe  a  tender 
chivalrous  regret  for  an  only  love  : — 

Take  tliou  thy  way  by  the  grave  wherein  thj^  dear  one  lies — 
Umm  el-'Ala — and  lift  up  thy  voice  :  ah  !  if  she  could  hear  ! 

How  art  thou  come,  for  very  fearful  wast  thou,  to  dwell 

in  a  land  where  not  the  most  valiant  goes  but  with  quaking  heart  ? 

God's  love  be  thine  and  His  mercy,  O  thou  dear  lost  one  ! 
not  meet  for  thee  is  the  place  of  shadow  and  loneliness. 


INTRODUCTION.  xvii 

And  a  little  one  hast  thou  left  behind— God's  ruth  on  her  ! 

she  knows  not  what  to  bewail  thee  means,  yet  weeps  for  thee, 
For  she  misses  those  sweet  ways  of  thine  which  thou  hadst  with  her, 

and  the  long  night  wails,  and  we  strive  to  hush  her  to  sleep  in  vain. 
When  her  crying  smites  in  the  night  upon  my  sleepless  ears, 

straightway  mine  eyes  brimful  are  filled  from  the  well  of  tears. 

If  anywhere  poetry  is  a  gauge  of  national 
character,  it  was  so  in  Arabia,  for  nowhere  was  it 
more  a  part  of  the  national  life.  That  line,  "  to 
think  how  his  work  to-day  would  live  in  to-morrow's 
tale,"  is  a  true  touch.  The  Arabs  were  before  all  f 
things  a  poetical  people.  It  is  not  easy  to  judge  of 
this  poetry  in  translation,  even  in  the  fine  renderings 
which  I  have  taken  above  from  Mr.  C.  J.  Lyall, 
but  its  effect  on  the  Arabs  themselves  was  unmis- 
takeable.  Damiri  has  a  saying,  "Wisdom  hath 
alighted  on  three  things,  the  brain  of  the  Franks, 
the  hands  of  the  Chinese,  and  the  tongue  of  the 
Arabs,"  and  the  last  is  not  the  least  true.  They 
had  an  annual  fair,  the  Academic  fraiiqaise  of 
Arabia,  w^here  the  poets  of  rival  clans  recited 
their  masterpieces  before  immense  audiences,  and 
received  the  summary  criticism  of  the  multitude. 
This  fair  of  Okadh  was  a  literary  congress,  without 
formal  judges,  but  with  unbounded  influence.  It 
was  here  that  the  polished  heroes  of  the  desert 
determined  points  of  grammar  and  prosody  ;  here 
the  seven  "  Golden   Songs  "  were  sung,  although 


xviii  INTRODUCTION. 

(alas  for  the  legend  !)  they  were  not  afterwards 
suspended  in  the  Kaaba  ;  and  here  "  a  magical 
language,  the  language  of  the  Hijaz,"  was  built 
out  of  the  dialects  of  Arabia  and  made  ready 
to  the  skilful  hand  of  Mohammad,  that  he  might 
conquer  the  world  with  his  Koran. 

Hitherto  we  have  been  looking  at  but  one  side 
of  Arab  Hfe.  The  Bedawis  were  indeed  the  bulk 
of  the  race  and  furnished  the  swords  of  the  Muslim 
conquests  ;  but  there  was  also  a  vigorous  town- 
life  in  Arabia,  and  the  citizens  waxed  rich  with  the 
gains  of  their  trafficking.  For  through  Arabia  ran 
the  trade-route  between  east  and  west  :  it  was 
the  Arab  traders  who  carried  the  produce  of  the 
Yemen  to  the  markets  of  Syria  ;  and  how  ancient 
was  their  commerce  one  may  divine  from  the 
words  of  a  poet  of  Judaea,  spoken  more  than  a 
thousand  years  before  the  coming  of  Mohammad — 

Wedan  and  Javan  from  San'a  paid  for  thy  produce  : 

sword-blades,  cassia,  and  calamus  were  in  thy  trafficking. 
Dedan  was  thy  merchant  in  saddle-cloths  for  riding. 
Arabia  and  all  the  merchants  of  Kedar,  they  were  the  merchants 
of  thy  hand ; 
in  lambs  and  rams  and  goats,  in  these  were  they  thy  mer- 
chants. 
The  merchants  of  Sheba  and  Raamah,  they  were  thy  merchants ; 
with  the  chief  of  all  spices,  and  with  every  precious  stone, 
and  gold,  they  paid  for  thy  produce. 

EzEKiEL  xxvii.  19-22. 

Mekka  was  the  centre  of  this  trading  life,  the 


epical  Arab  city  of  old  times,  a  stirring  little  town, 
th  its   caravans  bringing   the   silks   and  woven 


INTRODUCTION.  xix 

'}: 

otuffs  of  Syria  and  the  far-famed  damask,  and 
/carrying  away  the  sweet -smelling  produce  of 
'Arabia,  frankincense,  cinnamon,  sandal-wood, 
aloe  and  myrrh,  and  the  dates  and  leather  and 
metals  of  the  south,  and  the  goods  that  came  to 
the  Yemen  from  Africa  and  even  India ;  its 
assemblies  of  merchant-princes  in  the  Council  Hall 
near  the  Kaaba;  and  again  its  young  poets  running 
over  with  love  and  gallantry ;  its  Greek  and  Persian 
slave-girls  brightening  the  luxurious  banquet  with 
their  native  songs,  when  as  yet  there  was  no  Arab 
school  of  music  and  the  monotonous  but  not 
unmelodious  chant  of  the  camel -driver  was  the 
national  song  of  Arabia  ;  and  its  club,  where  busy 
men  spent  their  idle  hours  in  playing  chess  and 
draughts,  or  in  gossiping  with  their  acquaintance. 
It  was  a  little  republic  of  commerce,  too  much 
infected  with  the  luxuries  and  refinements  of  the 
states  it  traded  with,  yet  retaining  enough  of  the 
free  Arab  nature  to  redeem  it  from  the  charge  of 
effeminacy.  Mekka  was  a  home  of  music  and 
poetry,  and  this  characteristic  lasted  into  Muslim 
times.  There  is  a  story  of  a  certain  stonemason 
who  had  a  wonderful  gift  of  singing.  When  he 
was  at  work  the  young  men  used  to  come  and 


XX  INTRODUCTION. 

importune  him,  and  bring  him  gifts  of  money  and 
food  to  induce  him  to  sing.  He  would  then  make 
a  stipulation  that  they  should  first  help  him  with 
his  work.  And  forthwith  they  would  strip  off 
their  cloaks,  and  the  stones  would  gather  round 
him  rapidly.  Then  he  would  mount  a  rock  and 
sing,  whilst  the  whole  hill  was  coloured  red  and 
yellow  with  the  variegated  garments  of  his  audience. 
It  was,  however,  in  this  town-life  that  the  worst 
qualities  of  the  Arab  came  out  ;  it  was  here  that 
his  raging  passion  for  dicing  and  his  thirst  for 
wine  were  most  prominent.  In  the  desert  there 
was  no  great  opportunity  for  indulging  in  either 
luxury,  but  in  a  town  which  often  welcomed  a  cara- 
van bringing  goods  to  the  value  of  twenty  thousand 
pound  such  excesses  were  to  be  looked  for. 
Excited  by  the  songs  of  the  Greek  slave-girls,  and 
the  fumes  of  mellow  wine,  the  Mekkan  would 
throw  the  dice  till,  like  the  German  of  Tacitus,  he 
had  staked  and  lost  his  own  liberty. 

But  Mekka  was  more  than  a  centre  of  trade 
and  of  song.  It  was  the  focus  of  the  religion  of  the 
Arabs.  Thither  the  tribes  went  up  every  year  to 
kiss  the  black  stone  which  had  fallen  from  heaven 
in  the  primeval  days  of  Adam,  and  to  make  the 
seven  circuits  of  the  Kaaba,  naked, —  for  they 
would  not  approach  God  in  the  garments  in  which 


INTRODUCTION.  xxi 

they  had  done  their  sins, — and  to  perform  the  other 
ceremonies  of  the  pilgrimage.  The  Kaaba,  a 
cubical  building  in  the  centre  of  Mekka,  was  the 
most  sacred  temple  in  all  Arabia,  and  it  gave  its 
sanctity  to  all  the  district  around.  It  was  built, 
saith  tradition,  by  Adam  from  a  heavenly  model, 
and  then  rebuilt  from  time  to  time  by  Seth  and 
Abraham  and  Ishmael,  and  less  reverend  persons, 
and  it  contained  the  sacred  things  of  the  land. 
Here  was  the  black  stone,  here  the  great  god 
of  red  agate,  and  the  three  hundred  and  sixty 
idols,  one  for  each  day  of  the  year,  which 
Mohammad  afterwards  destroyed  in  one  day. 
Here  was  Abraham's  stone,  and  that  other  which 
marked  the  tomb  of  Ishmael,  and  hard  by  was 
Zemzem,  the  God-sent  spring  which  gushed  from 
the  sand  when  the  forefather  of  the  Arabs  was 
perishing  of  thirst. 

The  religion  of  the  ancient  Arabs,  little  as  we 
know  of  it,  is  especially  interesting  inasmuch  as 
the  Arabs  longest  retained  the  original  Semitic 
character,  and  hence  probably  the  original 
Semitic  religion  ;  and  thus  in  the  ancient  cult  of 
Arabia  we  may  see  the  religion  once  professed  by 
Chaldeans,  Canaanites,  Israelites,  and  Phoenicians. 
This  ancient  religion  "  rises  little  higher  than 
animistic    polydaemonism  ;    it   is    a   collection   of 

c 


xxii  INTRODUCTION. 

tribal  religions  standing  side  by  side,  only  loosely 
united,  though  there  are  traces  of  a  once  closer 
connection."  The  great  objects  of  worship  were 
the  sun,  and  the  stars,  and  the  three  moon-god- 
desses,—  El-Lat,  the  bright  moon,  Menah,  the 
dark,  and  El-'Uzza,  the  union  of  the  two — whilst  a 
lower  cultus  of  trees,  stones,  and  mountains  shows 
that  the  religion  had  not  quite  risen  above  simple 
fetishism.  There  are  traces  of  a  belief  in  a 
supreme  God  behind  this  pantheon,  and  the  moon- 
goddesses  and  other  divinities  were  regarded  as 
daughters  of  the  Most  High  God  (Allah  ta'ala). 
The  various  deities  (but  not  the  supreme  Allah) 
had  their  fanes  where  human  sacrifices,  though 
rare,  were  not  unknown ;  and  their  cult  was 
superintended  by  a  hereditary  line  of  seers,  who 
were  held  in  great  reverence,  but  never  developed 
into  a  priestly  caste. 

Besides  the  tribal  gods,  individual  households 
had  their  special  penates^  to  whom  was  due  the 
first  and  the  last  salam  of  the  returning  or  out- 
going master.  But  in  spite  of  all  this  superstitious 
apparatus  the  Arabs  were  never  a  religious  people. 
In  the  old  days,  as  now,  they  were  reckless, 
sceptical,  materialistic.  They  had  their  gods  and 
their  divining  arrows,  but  they  were  ready  to 
demolish  both  if  the  responses  proved  contrary  to 


INTRODUCTION.  xxiii 

their  wishes.  An  Arab,  who  wished  to  avenge 
the  death  of  his  father,  went  to  consult  the  square 
block  of  white  stone  called  El-Khalasa,  by  means 
of  divining  arrows.  Three  times  he  tried,  and 
each  time  he  drew  the  arrow  forbidding  vengeance. 
Then  he  broke  the  arrows,  and  flung  them  in  the 
face  of  the  idol,  crying,  "  Wretch  !  if  it  had  been 
your  father  who  was  murdered,  you  would  not 
have  forbidden  me  to  avenge  him  !  "  The  great 
majority  believed  in  no  future  life,  nor  in  a  reckon- 
ing day  of  good  and  evil.  If  a  i^w  tied  camels  toi 
the  graves  of  the  dead  that  the  corpse  might  ride 
mounted  to  the  judgment-seat,  they  must  have 
done  so  more  by  force  of  superstitious  habit  than 
anything  else. 

Christianity  and  Judaism  had  made  but  small 
impress  upon  the  Arabs.  There  were  Jewish 
tribes  in  the  north,  and  there  is  evidence  in  the 
Koran  and  elsewhere  that  the  traditions  and  rites 
of  Judaism  were  widely  known  in  Arabia.  But  the 
creed  was  too  narrow  and  too  exclusively  national 
to  commend  itself  to  the  majority  of  the  people. 
Christianity  fared  even  worse.  Whether  or  not 
St.  Paul  went  there,  it  is  at  least  certain  that  very 
little  effect  was  produced  by  the  preaching  of 
Christianity  in  Arabia.  We  hear  of  Christians  on 
the  borders,  and   even   two   or   three  among  the 


xxiv  INTRODUCTION. 

Mekkans,  and  bishops  and  churches  are  spoken  of 
at  Dhafar  and  Nejran.  But  the  Christianity  that 
the  Arabs  knew  was,  like  the  Judaism  of  the 
northern  tribes,  a  very  imperfect  reflection  of  the 
faith  it  professed  to  be.  It  had  become  a  thing 
of  the  head  instead  of  the  heart,  and  the  refine- 
ments of  monophysite  and  monothehte  doctrines 
gained  no  hold  on  the  Arab  mind. 

Thus  Judaism  and  Christianity,  though  they 
were  well  known,  and  furnished  many  of  the  ideas 
and  most  of  the  ceremonies  of  Islam,  were  never 
able  to  effect  any  general  settlement  in  Arabia. 
The  common  Arabs  did  not  care  much  about  any 
religion,  and  the  finer  spirits  found  the  wrangling 
dogmatism  of  the  Christian  and  the  narrow  isola- 
tion of  the  Jew  little  to  their  mind.  For  there 
were  men  before  the  time  of  Mohammad  who  were 
dissatisfied  with  the  low  fetishism  in  which  their 
countrymen  were  plunged,  and  who  protested 
emphatically  against  the  idle  and  often  cruel 
superstitions  of  the  Arabs.  Not  to  refer  to  the 
prophets,  who,  as  the  Koran  relates,  were  sent  in 
old  times  to  the  tribes  of  Ad  and  Thamud  to 
convert  them,  there  was,  immediately  before  the 
preaching  of  Mohammad,  a  general  feeling  that  a 
change  was  at  hand  ;  a  prophet  was  expected,  and 
women  were  anxiously  hoping  for  male  children,  if 


INTRODUCTION.  xxv 

so  be  they  might  mother  the  Apostle  of  God  ;  and 
the  more  thoughtful  minds,  tinged  with  traditions 
of  Judaism,  were  seeking  for  what  they  called  the 
"religion  of  Abraham."  These  men  were  called 
"  Hanlfs,"  or  "  incliners,"  and  their  religion  seems 
to  have  consisted  chiefly  in  a  negative  position, — in 
denying  the  superstition  of  the  Arabs,  and  in  only 
asserting  the  existence  of  one  sole -ruling  God 
whose  absolute  slaves  are  all  mankind — without 
being  able  to  decide  on  any  minor  doctrines,  or  to 
determine  in  what  manner  this  One  God  was  to  be 
worshipped.  So  long  as  the  Hanlfs  could  give 
their  countrymen  no  more  definite  creed  than  this, 
their  influence  was  limited  to  a  few  inquiring  and 
doubting  minds.  It  was  reserved  for  Mohammad 
to  formulate  the  faith  of  the  Hanlfs  in  the  dogmas 
of  Islam. 

It  is  essential  to  bear  in  mind  all  these  sur- 
roundings of  Mohammad  if  we  would  understand 
his  position  and  influence.  A  desert  Arab  in  love 
of  liberty  and  worship  of  nature's  beauty,  but  lack- 
ing something  of  the  frank  chivalrous  spirit  of  the 
desert  warrior — more  a  saint  than  a  knight, — yet 
possessing  a  patient  determined  perseverance 
which  belonged  to  the  life  of  the  town,  a  moral 
force  which  the  roaming  Bedawy  did  not  need, 
Mohammad    owed    something    to    either    side    of 


xxvi  INTRODUCTION. 

Arabian  life  ;  whilst  without  the  influence  of  other 
religions,  especially  the  Jewish,  he  could  never 
have  come  forward  as  the  preacher  of  Islam. 
Even  the  old  nature  worship  of  the  Arabs  had  its 
share  in  the  new  religion,  and  no  faith  was  made 
up  of  more  varied  materials  than  that  which 
Mohammad  impressed  upon  so  large  a  portion  of 
mankind. 

Of  his  early  life  very  little  is  known.  He  was 
born  in  A.D.  571,  and  came  of  the  noble  tribe  of 
the  Koreysh,  who  had  long  been  guardians  of  the 
sacred  Kaaba.  He  lost  both  his  parents  early, 
and  as  his  branch  of  the  tribe  had  become  poor, 
his  duty  was  to  betake  himself  to  the  hillsides  and 
pasture  the  flocks  of  his  neighbours.  In  after 
years  he  would  look  back  with  pleasure  on  these 
days,  and  say  that  God  took  never  a  prophet  save 
from  among  the  sheep-folds.  The  life  on  the  hills 
gave  him  the  true  shepherd's  eye  for  nature  which 
is  seen  in  ever)'  speech  of  the  Koran  ;  and  it  was 
in  those  solitary  watches  under  the  silent  sky,  with 
none  near  to  distract  him,  that  he  began  those 
earnest  communings  with  his  soul  which  made  him 
in  the  end  the  prophet  of  his  nation.  Beyond  this 
shepherd  life  and  his  later  and  more  adventurous 
trade  of  camel-driver  to  the  Syrian  caravans  of  his 
rich  cousin,  Khadija,  whom  he  presently  married 


INTRODUCTION.  xxvii 

at  the  age  of  twenty-five,  there  is  Httle  that  can  be 
positively  asserted  of  Mohammad's  youth.  He 
must  have  witnessed  the  poets'  contests  at  the 
Fair  of  'Okadh,  and  listened  to  the  earnest  talk 
of  the  Jews  and  Hanlfs  who  visited  the  markets  ; 
he  may  have  heard  a  little,  dimly,  of  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  ;  what  he  did  we  know  not  ;  what  he 
was  is  expressed  in  the  nickname  by  which  he  was 
known — "  El-Amin,"  the  Trusty. 

"  Mohammad  was  of  the  middle  height,  rather 
thin,  but  broad  of  shoulders,  wide  of  chest,  strong 
of  bone  and  muscle.  His  head  was  massive; 
strongly  developed.  Dark  hair,  slightly  curled, 
flowed  in  a  dense  mass  almost  to  his  shoulders  ; 
even  in  advanced  age  it  was  sprinkled  with  only 
about  twenty  gray  hairs,  produced  by  the  agonies 
of  his  '  Revelations.'  His  face  was  oval-shaped, 
slightly  tawny  of  colour.  Fine  long  arched  eye- 
brows were  divided  by  a  vein,  which  throbbed 
visibly  in  moments  of  passion.  Great  black 
restless  eyes  shone  out  from  under  long  heavy 
eyelashes.  His  nose  was  large,  slightly  aquiline. 
His  teeth,  upon  which  he  bestowed  great  care, 
were  well  set,  dazzling  white.  A  full  beard  framed 
his  manly  face.  His  skin  was  clear  and  soft,  his 
complexion  'red  and  white,'  his  hands  were  as 
'  silk  and  satin,'  even  as  those  of  a  woman.      His 


xxviii  INTRODUCTION. 

step  was  quick  and  elastic,  yet  firm  as  that  of  one 
who  steps  'from  a  high  to  a  low  place.'  In  turn- 
ing his  face  he  would  also  turn  his  whole  body. 
His  whole  gait  and  presence  were  dignified  and 
imposing.  His  countenance  was  mild  and  pensive. 
His  laugh  was  rarely  more  than  a  smile. 

"  In  his  habits  he  was  extremely  simple,  though 
he  bestowed  great  care  on  his  person.  His  eating 
and  drinking,  his  dress  and  his  furniture  retained, 
even  when  he  had  reached  the  fulness  of  power, 
their  almost  primitive  nature.  The  only  luxuries 
he  indulged  in  were,  besides  arms,  which  he  highly 
prized,  a  pair  of  yellow  boots,  a  present  from  the 
Negus  of  Abyssinia.  Perfumes,  however,  he 
loved  passionately,  being  most  sensitive  to  smells. 
Strong  drink  he  abhorred. 

"  His  constitution  was  extremely  delicate.  He 
was  nervously  afraid  of  bodily  pain  ;  he  would  sob 
and  roar  under  it.  Eminently  unpractical  in  all 
common  things  of  life,  he  was  gifted  with  mighty 
powers  of  imagination,  elevation  of  mind,  delicacy 
and  refinement  of  feeling.  '  He  is  more  modest 
than  a  virgin  behind  her  curtain,'  it  was  said  of 
him.  He  was  most  indulgent  to  his  inferiors,  and 
would  never  allow  his  awkward  little  page  to  be 
scolded  whatever  he  did.  '  Ten  years,'  said  Anas 
his  servant,  '  was  I  about  the  Prophet,  and  he  never 


INTRODUCTION.  xxix 

said  as  much  as  "uff"  to  me.'  He  was  very  affec- 
tionate towards  his  family.  One  of  his  boys  died  on 
his  breast  in  the  smoky  house  of  the  nurse,  a  black- 
smith's wife.  He  was  very  fond  of  children  ;  he 
would  stop  them  in  the  streets  and  pat  their  little 
heads.  He  never  struck  any  one  in  his  life.  The 
worst  expression  he  ever  made  use  of  in  conversa- 
tion was,  '  What  has  come  to  him  ?  may  his  fore- 
head be  darkened  with  mud  ! '  When  asked  to  curse 
some  one,  he  replied,  '  I  have  not  been  sent  to 
curse,  but  to  be  a  mercy  to  mankind.'  '  He  visited 
the  sick,  followed  any  bier  he  met,  accepted  the 
invitation  of  a  slave  to  dinner,  mended  his  own 
clothes,  milked  the  goats,  and  waited  upon  him- 
self,' relates  summarily  another  tradition.  He 
never  first  withdrew  his  hand  out  of  another  man's 
palm,  and  turned  not  before  the  other  had  turned. 
"  He  was  the  most  faithful  protector  of  those 
he  protected,  the  sweetest  and  most  agreeable  in 
conversation.  Those  who  saw  him  were  suddenly 
filled  with  reverence ;  those  who  came  near  him 
loved  him  ;  they  who  described  him  would  say,  '  I 
have  never  seen  his  like  either  before  or  after.' 
He  was  of  great  taciturnity,  but  when  he  spoke  it 
was  with  emphasis  and  deliberation,  and  no  one 
could  forget  what  he  said.  He  was,  however,  very 
nervous   and    restless   withal ;    often   low-spirited, 


XXX  INTRODUCTION. 

downcast,  as  to  heart  and  eyes.  Yet  he  would  at 
times  suddenly  break  through  these  broodings, 
become  gay,  talkative,  jocular,  chiefly  among  his 
own.  He  would  then  delight  in  telling  little 
stories,  fairy  tales,  and  the  like.  He  would  romp 
with  the  children  and  play  with  their  toys." 

"  He  lived  with  his  wives  in  a  row  of  humble 
cottages,  separated  from  one  another  by  palm- 
branches,  cemented  together  with  mud.  He  would 
kindle  the  fire,  sweep  the  floor,  and  milk  the  goats 
himself  The  little  food  he  had  was  always  shared 
with  those  who  dropped  in  to  partake  of  it.  In- 
deed, outside  the  prophet's  house  was  a  bench  or 
gallery,  on  which  were  always  to  be  found  a  number 
of  poor,  who  lived  entirely  upon  his  generosity, 
and  were  hence  called  'the  people  of  the  bench.' 
His  ordinary  food  was  dates  and  water,  or  barley 
bread  ;  milk  and  honey  were  luxuries  of  which  he 
was  fond,  but  which  he  rarely  allowed  himself. 
The  fare  of  the  desert  seemed  most  congenial  to 
him,  even  when  he  was  sovereign  of  Arabia." 

Mohammad  was  forty  before  he  began  his 
mission  of  reform.  He  may  long  have  doubted 
and  questioned  with  himself,  but  at  least  outwardly 
he  seems  to  have  conformed  to  the  popular  religion. 
At  length,  as  he  was  keeping  the  sacred  months, 
the    God's    Truce   of   the    Arabs,    in   prayer   and 


INTRODUCTION.  xxxi 

fasting  on  Mount  Hira,  "a  huge  barren  rock,  torn 
by  cleft  and  hollow  ravine,  standing  out  solitary 
in  the  full  white  glare  of  the  desert  sun,"  he  thought 
he  heard  a  voice  say  "  Cry."  "  What  shall  I  cry  ?" 
he  answered.     And  the  voice  said  : — 

"  Cry  !  in  the  name  of  thy  Lord,  who  created  — 
Created  man  from  blood. 
Cry  !  for  thy  Lord  is  the  Bountifullest ! 
Who  taught  the  pen, 
Taught  man  what  he  did  not  know." 

Koran,  ch.  xcvi. 

At  first  he  thought  he  was  possessed  with  a  devil, 
and  the  refuge  of  suicide  was  often  present  to  his 
mind.  But  yet  again  he  heard  the  voice —  "  Thou 
art  the  Messenger  of  God,  and  I  am  Gabriel." 
He  went  back  to  Khadija,  worn  out  in  body  and 
mind.  "  Wrap  me,  wrap  me,"  he  cried.  And 
then  the  word  came  to  him  : — 

"  O  thou  who  art  wrapped,  rise  up  and  warn  ! 
And  thy  Lord  magnify, 
And  thy  raiment  purify, 
And  abomination  shun  ! 
And  grant  not  favours  to  gain  increase  ! 
And  wait  for  thy  Lord  ! " — Koran,  ch.  Ixxiv. 

These  are  the  first  two  revelations  that  came  to 
Mohammad.  That  he  believed  he  heard  them 
spoken  by  an  angel  from  heaven  is  beyond  doubt. 
His  temperament  was  nervous  and  excitable  from 
a  child  up.     It  is  said  he  was  subject  to  cataleptic 


xxxii  INTRODUCTION. 

fits,  like  Swedenborg  ;  and  at  least  it  is  certain  that 
his  constitution  was  more  delicately  and  highly 
strung  than  most  men's.  If  it  is  any  satisfaction 
to  the  incredulous  to  find  evidence  of  a  special 
tendency  towards  hallucinations,  the  proofs  are  at 
hand.  But  whether  the  "  revelations  "  were  sub- 
jective or  not  makes  no  difference  to  the  result. 
Whencesoever  they  came,  they  were  real  and 
potent  revelations  to  the  man  and  to  his  people. 

After  this  beginning  of  converse  with  the 
supernatural,  or  whatever  we  prefer  to  term  it,  the 
course  of  Mohammad's  revelations — the  speeches 
which  make  up  the  Koran — flowed  unbroken  for 
twenty  years  and  more.  They  fall  naturally  into 
two  great  divisions — the  period  of  struggle  at 
Mekka,  and  the  period  of  triumph  at  Medina ; 
and  the  characteristics  of  the  two  are  diverse 
as  the  circumstances  which  called  them  forth. 
For  whatever  Mohammad  himself  thought  of  his 
revelations,  to  modern  criticism  they  are  speeches 
or  sermons  strictly  connected  with  the  religious 
and  political  circumstances  of  the  speaker's  time. 
In  the  first  period  we  see  a  man  possessed 
of  a  strong  religious  idea,  an  idea  dominat- 
ing his  life,  and  his  one  aim  is  to  impress  that 
idea  on  his  people,  the  inhabitants  of  Mekka. 
He  preached  to  them  in  season  and  out  of  season  ; 


INTRODUCTION.  xxxiii 

whenever  the  spirit  moved  him  he  poured  forth  his 
burning  eloquence  into  the  ears  of  a  suspicious  and 
incredulous  audience.  Three  years  of  unwearied 
effort  produced  the  pitiful  result  of  a  score  or  so  of 
converts,  mainly  from  the  poorest  classes.  In  the 
fifth  year  even  these  were  compelled  by  the  perse- 
cutions of  the  Koreysh  to  take  refuge  in  Abyssinia 
— "  a  land  of  righteousness,  wherein  no  man  is 
wronged."  Mohammad  had  by  this  time  advanced 
from  a  mere  inculcation  of  the  doctrine  of  one  all- 
powerful  God  to  a  plain  attack  upon  the  idolatry 
of  the  Mekkans  ;  and  the  Koreysh,  as  guardians  of 
the  Kaaba  and  receivers  of  the  pilgrims'  tolls, 
were  keenly  alive  to  the  consequences  which  the 
overthrow  of  the  sacred  temple  would  entail  upon 
its  keepers.  The  result  of  Mohammad's  bold 
denunciations  was  a  cruel  persecution  of  his 
humbler  followers,  and  their  consequent  flight  to 
Abyssinia ;  he  himself  was  too  nearly  allied  to 
powerful  chiefs  to  be  lightly  injured  in  a  land 
where  the  blood  -  revenge  held  sway.  Presently 
the  devotion  of  the  prophet,  his  manly  bearing 
under  obloquy  and  reproach,  and  above  all,  the 
winged  words  of  his  eloquence,  brought  several  men 
of  influence  and  wealth  into  his  faith,  and  in  the 
sixth  year  of  his  mission  Mohammad  found  him- 
self surrounded  no  longer  by  a  crowd  of  slaves  and 


xxxiv  INTRODUCTION. 

beggars,  but  by  tried  swordsmen,  chiefs  of  great 
families,  leaders  in  the  councils  of  Mekka  ;  and 
the  new  sect  performed  their  rites  no  more  in 
secret,  but  publicly  at  the  Kaaba,  in  the  face  of 
the  whole  city.  The  Koreysh  resolved  on  stronger 
measures.  After  trying  vainly  to  isolate  him  from 
his  family — the  true  Arab  spirit  of  kindred  was 
not  so  easily  shaken — they  put  the  whole  clan 
under  a  ban,  and  swore  they  would  not  marry  with 
them,  nor  buy  nor  sell  with  them,  nor  hold  with 
them  any  intercourse  soever.  To  the  credit  of 
Mohammad  and  of  his  clan,  only  one  man  of  them 
refused  to  share  his  fate,  though  most  of  them  did 
not  hold  with  his  doctrines.  Sooner  than  give  up 
their  kinsman,  they  went,  every  man  of  them,  save 
that  one,  into  their  own  quarter  of  the  city,  and 
there  abode  in  banishment  for  two  years.  Starva- 
tion was  busy  with  the  incarcerated  family,  when 
the  Koreysh  grew  ashamed  of  their  work,  and  five 
chiefs  arose  and  put  on  their  armour  and  went  to 
the  ravine  where  the  banished  people  were  shut 
up,  and  bade  them  come  forth. 

The  time  of  inaction  was  followed  by  a  time  of 
sorrow.  Mohammad  lost  his  wife  and  the  aged 
chief,  his  uncle,  who  had  hitherto  been  his  pro- 
tector. All  Mekka  was  against  him,  and  in  despair 
of  heart  he  journeyed  to  Taif,  seventy  miles  away. 


INTRODUCTION.  xxxv 

and  told  his  message  to  another  folk  :  but  they 
stoned  him  for  three  miles  from  the  town.  The 
time,  however,  was  coming  when  a  distant  city 
would  hold  out  welcoming  hands  to  the  prophet 
whom  Mekka  and  Taif  had  rejected.  As  he 
dwelt-on  disconsolately  at  Mekka,  pilgrims  from 
Yethrib  (soon  to  be  known  as  Medina  or  Medinet- 
en-Neby,  *'  the  Prophet's  City  ")  hearkened  to  the 
new  doctrine,  and  carried  it  home  to  their  own 
folk.  Jews  had  prepared  the  way  for  Islam  at 
Medina  ;  the  new  religion  did  not  seem  prepos- 
terous to  those  who  had  long  heard  of  One  God  ; 
and  presently  the  Faithful  began  to  leave  Mekka 
in  small  companies,  and  take  refuge  in  the  hospi- 
table city  where  their  prophet  was  honoured.  At 
length  Mohammad,  when  like  the  captain  of  a 
sinking  ship  he  had  seen  his  followers  safely  away, 
accompanied  by  one  faithful  friend  eluded  the 
vigilance  of  the  Koreysh,  and  safely  arrived  at 
Medina  in  the  early  summer  of  622.  This  is  the 
Hijra  or  "  Flight  "  of  Mohammad,  from  which  the 
Muslims  date  their  history. 

During  these  years  of  struggle  and  persecution 
at  Mekka  90  out  of  the  1 14  chapters  or  speeches 
which  compose  the  Koran  were  revealed,  amount- 
ing to  about  two-thirds  of  the  whole  book.  All 
these   speeches  are    inspired  with  but    one  great 


xxxvi  .INTRODUCTION. 

design,  and  are  in  strong  contrast  with  the  compli- 
cated  character   of  the   later   chapters   issued    at 
Medina.       In    the    Mekka    chapters    Mohammad 
appears  in  the  unalloyed  character  of  a  prophet  : 
he  has  not  yet  assumed  the  functions  of  a  statesman 
and  lawgiver.      His  object  is  not  to  give  men  a 
code  or  a  constitution,  but  to   call   them   to    the 
worship  of  the  One  God.      There  is  hardly  a  word 
of  other  doctrines,  scarcely  anything  of  ritual,  or 
social    or    penal    regulations.      Every    speech    is 
directed  simply  to  the  grand  design  of  the  Prophet's 
life,  to  convince  men  of  the  unutterable  majesty  of 
the  One  God,  who  brooks  no  rivals.      Mohammad 
appeals  to  the  people  to  credit  the  evidence  of  their 
own  eyes ;  he  calls  to  witness  the  wonders  of  nature, 
the  stars  in  their  courses,  the  sun  and  the  moon, 
the  dawn  cleaving  asunder  the  dark  veil  of  night, 
the  life-giving  rain,  the  fruits  of  the  earth,  life  and 
death,  change  and  decay — all  are  "  signs  of  God's 
power,  if  only  ye  would  understand."     Or  he  tells 
the  people  how  it  fared  with   older   generations, 
when  prophets  came  to  them  and  exhorted  them 
to   believe    in    One    God    and    do    righteousness, 
and  they  rejected  them  ;  how  there  fell  upon  the 
unbelieving  nation    grievous   woe.       How   was    it 
with  the  people   of  Noah  ?  he  asks  : — they  were 
drowned    in    the    flood    because    they   would    not 


INTRODUCTION.  '  xxxvii 

hearken  to  his  words.  And  the  people  of  the 
Cities  of  the  Plain  ?  And  Pharaoh  and  his  host? 
And  the  old  tribes  of  the  Arabs  who  would  not 
hear  the  warnings  of  their  prophets  ?  One  answer 
follows  each — there  came  upon  them  a  great 
calamity.  "  These  are  the  true  stories,"  he  cries, 
"  and  there  is  only  One  God  !  and  yet  ye  turn 
aside."  Eloquent  appeals  to  the  signs  of  nature, 
threats  of  a  day  of  reckoning  to  come,  warnings 
drawn  from  the  legends  of  the  prophets,  arguments 
for  the  truth  and  reality  of  the  revelation,  make  up 
the  substance  of  this  first  division  of  the  Koran. 

In  the  earliest  group  of  speeches  delivered  at 
Mekka,  forty-eight  in  number,  belonging  to  what 
is  called  the  First  Period,  extending  over  the  first 
four  years  of  Mohammad's  mission,  we  feel  the 
poetry  of  the  man.  Mohammad  had  not  lived 
among  the  sheep-folds  in  vain,  and  spent  long 
solitary  nights  gazing  at  the  silent  heaven  and 
watching  the  dawn  break  over  the  mountains. 
This  earliest  portion  of  the  Koran  is  one  long 
blazonry  of  nature's  beauty.  How  can  you  believe 
in  aught  but  the  One  omnipotent  God  when  you 
see  this  glorious  world  around  you  and  this 
wondrous  tent  of  heaven  above  you.?  is  Mohammad's 
frequent  question  to  his  countrymen.  "  All  things 
in  heaven  and  earth  supplicate  Him;  then  which 


xxxviii  INTRODUCTION. 

of  the  bounties  of  your  Lord  will  ye  deny?"    There 
is  Httle  but  this  appeal  to  nature  in  the  first  part 
of  the  speeches  at  Mekka.     The  prophet  was  in 
too  exalted  a  state   during  these   early  years   to 
stoop  to  argument  ;  he  rather  seeks  to  dazzle  the 
sense  with  brilliant  images  of  God's  workings  in 
creation.     "  Verily  in  the  creation  of  the  heavens 
and  the  earth  are  signs  to  you,  if  ye  would  under- 
stand."     His   sentences   have   a    rhythmical   ring 
though  they  are  not  in  true  metre.     The  lines  are 
very   short,    yet   with    a    musical   cadence.      The 
meaning  is  often  but  half  expressed.     The  poet 
seems  impatiently  to  stop  as  if  he  despaired  of 
explaining  himself:   he  has   essayed   a  thing  be- 
yond   words,    has    discovered   the    impotence    of 
language,   and   broken  off  with  the  sentence  un- 
finished.     The  style  is  throughout  fiery  and  im- 
passioned.    The  words  are  those  of  a  man  whose 
whole  heart  is  bent  on  convincing,  and  they  carry 
with  them  even  now  the  impression  of  the  burning 
vehemence  with  which  they  were  originally  hurled 
forth.     These  earliest  speeches  are  generally  brief. 
They  are  pitched  too  high  to  be  long  sustained. 
We  feel  we  have  here  to  do  with  a  poet  as  well 
as  a  preacher,  and  that  his  poetry  costs  him  too 
much  to  be  spun  out. 
.     In  urging  to  repentance  and  faith,  Mohammad's 


INTRODUCTION.  xxxix 

great  weapon  is  the  judgment  to  come — the  day  of 
retribution,  when  all  mankind  shall  be  arraigned 
before  the  throne  of  God  ;  and  those  who  have 
done  good  shall  be  given  the  book  of  the  record 
of  their  actions  in  their  right  hand,  and  enjoy 
abiding  happiness  in  gardens,  under  which  the  rivers 
flow ;  whilst  the  wicked  shall  receive  his  damning 
record  in  his  left  hand,  and  be  dragged  by  heel 
and  hair  to  hell,  to  broil  therein  for  ever.  The  day 
of  judgment  is  a  stern  reality  to  Mohammad.  It 
is  never  out  of  his  thoughts,  and  he  says  himself 
that  if  men  realised  what  that  day  was,  they  would 
weep  much  and  laugh  little.  He  is  never  tired  of 
depicting  its  terrors,  and  cannot  find  names 
enough  to  describe  it.  He  calls  it  the  Hour,  the 
Mighty  Day,  the  great  Calamity,  the  Inevitable 
Fact,  the  Smiting,  the  Overwhelming,  the  Hard 
Day,  the  Promised  Day,  the  Day  of  Decision. 

The  high  poetic  fervour  of  the  first  group  of 
Mekka  speeches  is  to  some  extent  lost  in  the  Second, 
and  still  more  in  the  Third  period,  corresponding 
to  the  fifth  and  sixth  years,  and  from  thence  to 
the  Hijra,  respectively,  and  each  comprising  twenty- 
one  speeches.  The  change  is  partly  one  of  style, 
partly  of  matter.  The  verses  and  the  speeches 
themselves  become  longer  and  more  rambling  ;  the 
resonant  oaths  by  all  the  wonders  of  nature  are 


xl  INTRODUCTION. 

exchanged  for  the  mild  asseveration,  "  By  the 
Koran."  There  is  more  self-assertion  and  for- 
mality, and  the  special  words  of  God  are  as  it 
were  italicised  by  the  prefixed  verb,  "  Say."  It 
must  be  remembered  that  the  speeches  of  the 
Koran  are  all  supposed  to  be  the  utterances  of 
God  in  propria  persona,  of  whom  Mohammad  is 
only  the  mouthpiece.  The  apparent  vindications 
and  laudations  of  the  prophet  himself  are  expHcable 
from  this  point  of  view  ;  and  the  reader  must 
never  forget  it  when  he  is  perplexed  by  the  "we" 
(God),  and  ''  thou  "  (Mohammad),  and  "  ye  "  (the 
audience),  of  the  Koran.  The  most  important 
alteration  to  be  observed  in  the  progress  of  the 
orations  at  Mekka  is  the  introduction  of  numerous 
stories  derived,  with  considerable  corruptions, 
from  the  Jewish  Haggadah.  More  than  fifteen 
hundred  verses,  nearly  a  quarter  of  the  Koran,  are 
occupied  with  wearisome  repetitions  of  these 
legends.  They  are  to  be  seen  methodically 
arranged  in  Lane's  Selections  from  the  Koran,  and 
I  need  only  say  that,  with  the  exception  of  one  or 
two  typical  examples  (like  the  speech  called  The 
Moon,  p.  41),  and  a  few  digressions  in  speeches 
(like  The  Children  of  Israel,  p.  57)  that  were  too 
important  to  be  omitted,  these  tales  are  excluded 
from  the  present  collection.     Their  only  real  in- 


INTRODUCTION.  xli 

terest  is  Mohammad's  use  of  them  as  evidence  of 
the  continuity  of  revelation.  He  believed  that  all 
preceding  prophets  were  inspired  of  God,  and  that 
they  taught  the  same  faith  as  himself.  From 
Adam  to  Jesus  they  all  brought  their  messages  to 
their  people,  and  were  rejected.  He  makes  them 
exhort  their  people  in  precisely  similar  words  to 
those  with  which  he  exhorts  the  Koreysh.  There 
is  nothing  new  in  his  own  doctrine,  he  says,  it  is 
but  the  teaching  of  Abraham,  of  Moses,  of  Christ, 
of  all  the  prophets.  But  it  is  the  last  and  best, 
the  seal  of  prophecy,  after  which  no  other  will  be 
given  before  the  Great  Day.  It  supersedes  or 
confirms  all  that  goes  before. 

Quite  half  of  the  second  group  of  Mekka 
speeches  consists  of  these  Jewish  legends.  There 
are  not  so  many  in  the  third,  and  none  in  the  first. 
But  if  the  Third  does  not  contain  quite  so  many  of 
these  tedious  fables,  it  is  even  tamer  in  style. 
Mohammad  seems  to  be  cataloguing  the  signs  of 
nature  mechanically,  and  he  is  constantly  recurring 
to  the  charge  of  forgery  which  was  often  brought 
against  him,  or  to  the  demand  for  miracles,  which 
he  always  frankly  admitted  he  could  not  gratify. 
I  am  only  a  warner,  he  said ;  I  cannot  show 
you  a  sign — a  miracle — except  what  ye  see  every 
day  and  night.      Signs  are  with   God :    He  who 


xHi  INTRODUCTION. 

could  make  the  heavens  could  easily  show  you  a 
sign  if  He  pleased  ;  beware,  lest  one  day  ye  see  a 
sign  indeed,  and  taste  in  hell  that  which  ye  called  a 
lie  !  That  the  old  eloquence,  in  spite  of  repetition 
and  wearing  trouble,  was  not  dead,  may  be  seen 
from  the  speech  called  TJmnder  {^.  104),  where  the 
nature  painting  is  as  fine  as  anywhere  in  the  Koran. 
The  first  great  division  of  Mohammad's  speeches, 
then,  is  oratorical  rather  than  dogmatic.  He  has 
a  great  dogma,  indeed,  and  uses  every  resource 
to  recommend  it.  But  there  is  little  detail  in  these 
ninety  Mekka  speeches.  Hardly  any  definite  laws 
or  precepts  are  to  be  found  in  them,  and  most  of 
these  in  the  speech  entitled  The  Children  of  Israel 
(p.  57).  Certain  general  rules  of  prayer  are  given, 
hospitality  and  thrift  are  commended  in  a  breath, 
"  Let  not  thy  hand  be  chained  to  thy  neck,  nor 
yet  stretch  it  out  right  open;"  infanticide,  in- 
chastity,  homicide  (save  in  blood  -  revenge),  the 
robbing  of  orphans,  a  false  balance,  usury,  a  broken 
covenant,  and  a  proud  stomach,  are  denounced  ; 
certain  foods  are  prohibited  ;  and  the  whole  duty 
of  man  is  thus  briefly  summed  up  : — "  Say  :  I  am 
only  a  man  like  you  :  I  am  inspired  that  your  God 
is  but  One  God.  Then  let  him  who  hopeth  to 
meet  his  Lord  do  righteousness,  and  join  no  (idol) 
in  his  worship  of  God." 


INTRODUCTION.  xliii 

There  is  little  here  of  a  complicated  ritual  or  a 
metaphysical  theology.  Thus  far  the  social  and 
religious  laws  which  we  associate  with  Islam 
are  not  found  in  the  Mohammadan  Bible.  We 
hear  only  the  voice  crying  in  the  wilderness, 
"  Hear  ye,  people  !  The  Lord  your  God  is  one 
Lord." 

Mohammad's  position  at  Medina  was  totally 
different  from  that  he  occupied  at  Mekka.  Instead 
of  a  struggling  reformer,  despised  and  ridiculed  by 
almost  every  man  he  met,  he  was  a  king,  ruling  a 
large  city  with  despotic  power,  and  needing  every 
resource  of  statecraft  to  maintain  order  among  its 
contentious  elements.  There  was  a  large  party, 
known  in  the  Koran  as  the  "  Disaffected "  or 
"  Hypocrites,"  who  found  it  politic  to  profess 
Islam,  but  were  ready  to  avail  themselves  of  any 
propitious  occasion  to  overturn  or  injure  it.  Still 
more  important  were  the  Jewish  Arab  tribes  settled 
at  Medina,  who  at  first  hoped  to  find  a  tool  to 
their  hands  in  the  new  prophet,  who  seemed  to 
teach  something  very  like  Judaism  ;  but  who,  when 
they  found  him  unmanageable,  straightway  turned 
upon  him  with  double  malignity,  and  exerted  them- 
selves in  all  treacherous  ways  to  countermine  his 
authority  and  help  his  enemies  within  and  without 
the  city.      Mohammad  has  been   blamed  for  the 


xliv  INTRODUCTION. 

severity  with  which  he  suppressed  the  rebellious 
parties  in  his  state,  and  the  sentences  of  exile  and 
death  passed  upon  the  Jews  have  been  regarded  as 
proofs  of  a  vindictive  nature.  An  impartial  study 
of  the  facts  of  the  case,  however,  shows  plainly  that 
strong  measures  were  needed  for  the  preservation 
of  the  Muslim  religion  and  polity  ;  and  the  vigor- 
ous blows  struck  by  Mohammad  at  rebellion  in 
the  beginning  probably  saved  bloodshed  afterwards. 
Whilst  the  prophet's  supremacy  was  being  estab- 
lished and  maintained  among  the  mixed  popula- 
tion of  Medina,  a  vigorous  warfare  was  carried 
on  outside  with  his  old  persecutors,  the  Koreysh. 
On  the  history  of  this  war,  consisting  as  it  did 
mainly  of  small  raids  and  attacks  upon  caravans, 
I  need  not  dwell.  Its  leading  features  were  the 
two  battles  of  Bedr  and  Ohud,  in  the  first  of  which 
three  hundred  Muslims,  though  outnumbered  at 
the  odds  of  three  to  one,  were  completely  victorious 
(a.d.  624,  A.H.  2) ;  whilst  at  Ohud,  being  outnum- 
bered in  the  like  proportion,  and  deserted  by  the 
"  Disaffected"  party,  they  were  almost  as  decisively 
defeated  (a.h.  3).  Two  years  later  the  Koreysh 
gathered  together  their  allies,  advanced  upon 
Medina,  and  besieged  it  for  fifteen  days  ;  but  the 
foresight  of  Mohammad  in  digging  a  trench,  and 
the   enthusiasm  of  the  Muslims   in  defending  it, 


INTRODUCTION.  xlv 

resisted  all  assaults,  and  the  coming  of  the  heavy 
storms  for  which  the  climate  of  Medina  is  noted 
drove  the  enemy  back  to  Mekka.  The  next  year 
(a.h.  6)  a  ten  years'  truce  (see  The  Victory ^  p.  124, 
and  notes)  was  concluded  with  the  Koreysh,  in 
pursuance  of  which  a  strange  scene  took  place  in  the 
following  spring.  It  was  agreed  that  Mohammad 
and  his  people  should  perform  the  Lesser  Pilgrim- 
age, and  that  the  Koreysh  should  for  that  purpose 
vacate  Mekka  for  three  days.  Accordingly  in 
March  629,  about  two  thousand  Muslims,  with 
Mohammad  at  their  head  on  his  famous  camel, 
El-Kaswa, — the  camel  on  which  he  had  fled  from 
Mekka, — trooped  down  the  valley  and  performed 
the  rites  which  every  Muslim  to  this  day  observes. 
"  It  was  surely  a  strange  sight  which  at  this  time 
presented  itself  in  the  vale  of  Mekka,  a  sight  unique 
in  the  history  of  the  world.  The  ancient  city  is 
for  three  days  evacuated  by  all  its  inhabitants, 
high  and  low,  every  house  deserted  ;  and  as  they 
retire,  the  exiled  converts,  many  years  banished 
from  their  birthplace,  approach  in  a  great  body, 
accompanied  by  their  allies,  revisit  the  empty 
homes  of  their  childhood,  and  within  the  short 
allotted  space  fulfil  the  rites  of  pilgrimage.  The 
ousted  inhabitants,  climbing  the  heights  around, 
take  refuge  under  tents  or  other  shelter  among  the 


xlvi  INTRODUCTION. 

hills  and  glens  ;  and  clustering  on  the  overhanging 
peak    of  Abu-Kubeys,   thence    watch    the  move- 
ments of  the  visitors  beneath  them,  as  with  the 
Prophet  at  their  head  they  make  the  circuit  of  the 
Kaaba  and  the  rapid  procession  between  Es-Safa 
and  Marvvah ;  and  anxiously  scan  every  figure  if 
perchance   they   may   recognise   among  the  wor- 
shippers some  long  lost  friend  or  relative.      It  was 
a  scene  rendered  possible  only  by  the  throes  which 
gave  birth  to  Islam."     When  the  three  days  were 
over,  Mohammad  and  his  party  peaceably  returned 
to    Medina,    and   the    Mekkans    re-entered    their 
homes.     But  this  pilgrimage,  and  the  self-restraint 
of  the  Muslims  therein,  advanced  the  cause  of  Islam 
among  its  enemies.     Converts  increased  daily,  and 
some  leading  men  of  the  Koreysh  went  over  to 
Mohammad.     The  clans  around  were  sending-in 
deputations  of  homage.     But  the  final  keystone  was 
set  in  the  8th  year  of  the  flight  (a.d.  630),  when 
a  body  of  Koreysh  broke  the  truce  by  attacking 
an  ally  of  the  Muslims,  and  Mohammad  forthwith 
marched   upon    Mekka   with   ten   thousand    men, 
and  the  city,  despairing  of  defence,  surrendered. 
The  day  of   Mohammad's  greatest  triumph  over 
his  enemies  was  also  the  day  of  his  grandest  victory 
over  himself.    He  freely  forgave  the  Koreysh  all  the 
years  of  sorrow  and  cruel  scorn  in  which  they  had 


INTRODUCTION.  xlvii 

afflicted  him,  and  gave  an  amnesty  to  the  whole 
population  of  Mekka.  Four  criminals  whom  justice 
condemned  made  up  Mohammad's  proscription 
list  when  he  entered  as  a  conqueror  to  the  city  of 
his  bitterest  enemies.  The  army  followed  his 
example,  and  entered  quietly  and  peaceably  ;  no 
house  was  robbed,  no  women  insulted.  One  thing 
alone  suffered  destruction.  Going  to  the  Kaaba, 
Mohammad  stood  before  each  of  the  three  hundred 
and  sixty  idols,  and  pointed  to  it  with  his  staff, 
saying,  "  Truth  is  come,  and  falsehood  is  fled 
away!"  and  at  these  words  his  attendants  hewed 
them  down,  and  all  the  idols  and  household  gods 
of  Mekka  and  round  about  were  destroyed. 

It  was  thus  that  Mohammad  entered  again 
his  native  city.  Through  all  the  annals  of  con- 
quest there  is  no  triumphant  entry  comparable  to 
this  one. 

The  taking  of  Mekka  was  soon  followed  by  the 
adhesion  of  all  Arabia.  Every  reader  knows  the 
story  of  the  spread  of  Islam.  The  tribes  of  every 
part  of  the  peninsula  sent  embassies  to  do  homage 
to  the  prophet.  Arabia  was  not  enough  :  Mo- 
hammad had  written  in  his  bold  uncompromising 
way  to  the  great  kings  of  the  East — to  the  Persian 
Chosroes  and  the  Greek  Emperor  ;  and  these  little 
knew  how  soon  his  invitation  to  the  faith  would  be 


xlviii  INTRODUCTION. 

repeated,  and  how  quickly  Islam  would  be  knock- 
ing at  their  doors  with  no  faltering  hand. 

The  prophet's  career  was  near  its  end.  In  the 
tenth  year  of  the  flight,  twenty-three  years  after  he 
had  first  felt  the  spirit  move  him  to  preach  to  his 
people,  he  resolved  once  more  to  leave  his  adopted 
city  and  go  to  Mekka  to  perform  a  farewell  pilgrim- 
age. And  when  the  rites  were  done  in  the  valley 
of  Mina,  the  prophet  spake  unto  the  multitude — 
the  forty  thousand  pilgrims — with  solemn  last 
words  : 

Ye  people,  hearken  to  my  words  :  for  I  know  not  whether  after  this 
year  I  shall  ever  be  amongst  you  here  again. 

Your  lives  and  your  property  are  sacred  and  inviolable  amongst 
one  another  until  the  end  of  time. 

The  Lord  hath  ordained  to  every  man  the  share  of  his  inheritance  ; 
a  testament  is  not  lawful  to  the  prejudice  of  heirs. 

The  child  belongeth  to  the  parent,  and  the  violater  of  wedlock 
shall  be  stoned. 

Ye  people,  ye  have  rights  demandable  of  your  wives,  and  they 
have  rights  demandable  of  you.     Treat  your  women  well. 

And  your  slaves,  see  that  ye  feed  them  with  such  food  as  ye  eat 
yourselves,  and  clothe  them  with  the  stuff  ye  wear.  And  if  they 
commit  a  fault  which  ye  are  not  willing  to  forgive,  then  sell  them,  for 
they  are  the  servants  of  the  Lord  and  are  not  to  be  tormented. 

Ye  people  !  hearken  unto  my  speech  and  comprehend  it.  Know 
that  every  Muslim  is  the  brother  of  every  other  Muslim.  All  of  you 
are  on  the  same  equality  :  ye  are  one  brotherhood. 

Then  looking  up  to  heaven  he  cried,  "  O  Lord,  I 
have  delivered  my  message  and  fulfilled  my 
mission."  And  all  the  muUitude  answered,  "  Yea, 
verily  hast  thou  !" — "  O  Lord,  I  beseech  thee,  bear 


INTRODUCTION.  xlix 

Thou  witness  to  it !"  and,  like  Moses,  he  lifted  up 
his  hands  and  blessed  the  people.  Three  months 
more  and  Mohammad  was  dead, — A.H.  ii,  a.d. 
632. 

And  when  it  was  noised  abroad  that  the  prophet 
was  dead,  Omar,  the  fiery-hearted,  the  Simon  Peter 
of  Islam,  rushed  among  the  people  and  fiercely 
told  them  they  lied ;  it  could  not  be  true.  And 
Abu-Bekr  came  and  said,  "Ye  people!  he  that 
hath  worshipped  Mohammad,  let  him  know  that 
Mohammad  is  dead  ;  but  he  that  hath  worshipped 
God,  that  the  Lord  liveth  and  doth  not  die." 

The  altered  circumstances  of  Mohammad's  Hfe 
at  Medina  produced  a  corresponding  change  in  his 
speeches.  They  are  now  not  so  much  exhortations 
to  unbelievers  as  directions  and  encouragements 
to  the  faithful ;  and  instead  of  being  one  complete 
oration,  as  most  of  the  early  speeches  are,  they  are 
a  collection  of  isolated  "  rulings  "  on  various  points 
of  conduct.  The  prophet's  house  at  Medina  be- 
came a  court  of  appeal  for  the  whole  body  of 
Muslims.  They  came  to  him  with  all  their  diffi- 
culties,— domestic,  social,  political,  religious, — and 
asked  for  direction.  Then  Mohammad  said  in 
few  words  what  he  thought  right  and  just ;  and 
these  decisions  have  been  treated  as  laws  binding 


1  INTRODUCTION. 

upon  the  Mohammadan  world  for  all  time.  It  is 
fortunate  that  Mohammad  was  a  man  of  sound 
common  sense,  or  the  law  of  Islam  would  be  a 
preposterous  medley.  As  it  is,  it  seems  clear  that 
the  prophet  never  wished  to  lay  down  a  code  of 
law,  and,  instead  of  volunteering  rules  of  conduct 
and  ritual,  used  to  wait  to  have  them  extorted  from 
him  by  questioning.  "  God  wishes  to  make  things 
easy  for  you,"  he  says,  "  for  man  was  created 
weak."  He  seems  to  have  distrusted  himself  as  a 
lawgiver,  for  there  is  a  tradition  which  relates  a 
speech  of  his  in  which  he  cautions  the  people 
against  taking  his  decision  on  worldly  affairs  as 
infallible.  When  he  speaks  of  the  things  of  God 
he  is  to  be  obeyed  ;  but  when  he  deals  with  human 
affairs  he  is  only  a  man  like  those  about  him.  He 
was  contented  to  leave  the  ordinary  Arab  customs 
in  force  except  when  they  were  manifestly  unjust. 
The  truth  is  that,  as  in  the  Mekka  speeches  so  in 
those  of  Medina,  the  legal  and  dogmatic  element 
is  curiously  small.  The  greater  part  of  those  long 
chapters  uttered  in  fragments  at  Medina,  and  then 
pieced  together  haphazard  by  the  prophet's  amanu- 
enses, consists  of  diatribes  against  the  Jews  and 
hypocrites,  reflections  on  the  conduct  of  the  allies 
in  battle,  encouragement  after  defeat,  exhortations 
as  to  the  future,  besides  a  great  deal  of  personal 


INTRODUCTION.  li 

matter — regulations  of  the  prophet's  harem,  vindi- 
cations of  his  own  or  his  wives'  conduct, — and 
similar  things  of  a  temporary  and  local  interest. 
Though  the  style  is  monotonous  and  longwinded, 
like  the  third  Mekka  period,  there  are  still  flashes 
of  the  old  eloquence,  though  perhaps  it  is  less 
spontaneous  than  of  old,  such  as  we  hear  in  the 
chapter  of  Light — 

God  is  the  light  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth ;  his  light  is  as  a 
niche  in  which  is  a  lamp,  and  the  lamp  in  a  glass ;  the  glass  is  as 
it  were  a  glittering  star :  it  is  lit  from  a  blessed  tree,  an  ohve  neither 
of  the  east  nor  of  the  west,  the  oil  thereof  would  wellnigh  shine 
though  no  fire  touched  it — light  upon  light— God  guideth  to  His  light 
whom  He  pleaseth. 

In  the  houses  God  hath  suffered  to  be  raised,  for  His  name  to  be 
commemorated  therein,  men  magnify  Him  at  morn  and  eve  : 

Men  whom  neither  merchandise  nor  trafficking  divert  from  remem- 
bering God  and  being  instant  in  prayer  and  giving  alms,  fearing  a 
day  when  hearts  and  eyes  shall  quiver  ; 

That  God  may  recompense  them  for  the  best  that  they  have 
wrought,  and  give  them  increase  of  His  grace ;  for  God  maketh 
provision  for  whom  He  pleaseth  without  count. 

But  those  who  disbelieve  are  like  a  vapour  in  a  plain  :  the  thirsty 
thinketh  it  water,  till,  when  he  cometh  to  it,  he  findeth  nothing  ; 
but  he  findeth  God  with  him ;  and  He  will  settle  his  account,  for 
God  is  quick  at  reckoning  : — 

Or  like  black  night  on  a  deep  sea,  which  wave  above  wave  doth 
cover,  and  cloud  over  wave,  gloom  upon  gloom, — when  one  putteth 
out  his  hand  he  can  scarcely  see  it ;  for  to  whom  God  giveth  not 
light,  he  hath  no  light. 

Hast  thou  not  seen  that  what  is  in  the  heavens  and  the  earth 
magnifieth  God,  and  the  birds  on  the  wing?  each  one  knoweth  its 
prayer  and  its  praise,  and  God  knoweth  what  they  do  : 


lii  INTRODUCTION. 

God's  is  the  empire  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and  to  Him 
must  all  things  return  ! 

Hast  thou  not  seen  that  God  driveth  the  clouds,  and  then  joineth 
them,  and  then  heapeth  them  up,  and  thou  mayest  see  the  rain 
coming  forth  from  their  midst ;  and  He  sendeth  down  from  the 
heaven  mountain-clouds  with  hail  therein,  and  He  maketh  it  fall 
on  whom  He  pleaseth,  and  He  turneth  it  away  from  whom  He 
pleaseth  :  the  flashing  of  His  lightning  well  nigh  consumeth  the 
eyes  !— xxiv.  35-43. 


The  actual  legal  residue  in  the  Medina  chapters 
is  singularly  small.  Chapters  ii.,  iv.,  and  v.,  con- 
tain nearly  all  the  law  of  the  Koran ;  but  it  must 
be  allowed  they  are  very  long  chapters,  and  form 
nearly  a  tenth  part  of  it.  Their  practical  im- 
port,— the  definite  ruling  of  Mohammad  on  dog- 
matic, ritual,  civil,  and  criminal  matters, — is  col- 
lected in  pp.  1 33-1 44,  and  need  not  be  repeated  here. 
The  conclusion,  however,  is  worth  pointing  clearly. 
The  Koran  does  not  contain,  even  in  outline,  the 
elaborate  ritual  and  complicated  law  which  now 
passes  under  the  name  of  Islam.  It  contains 
merely  those  decisions  which  happened  to  be 
called  for  at  Medina.  Mohammad  himself  knew 
that  it  did  not  provide  for  every  emergency,  and 
recommended  a  principle  of  analogical  deduction 
to  guide  his  followers  when  they  were  in  doubt. 
This  analogical  deduction  has  been  the  ruin  of 
Islam.     Commentators  and  jurists  have  set  their 


INTRODUCTION.  liii 

nimble  wits  to  work  to  extract  from  the  Koran 
legal  decisions  which  an  ordinary  mind  could 
never  discover  there  ;  and  the  whole  structure  of 
modern  Mohammadanism  has  been  built  upon 
this  foundation  of  sand.  The  Koran  is  not 
responsible  for  it. 

'.  There  is,  however,  another  source  of  informa- 
tion about  Mohammad's  teaching  and  practice 
which  is  largely  responsible  for  the  present  form 
of  the  once  simple  creed  of  Mekka.  Besides  the 
public  speeches  which  were  held  to  be  directly 
inspired  by  God,  and  indeed  copied  from  a  book 
supposed  to  exist  in  the  handwriting  of  God, — the 
chapters  of  the  Koran, — there  were  many  sayings 
of  Mohammad  which  were  said  in  a  private  un- 
official way  in  his  circle  of  intimate  friends,  and 
which  were  almost  as  carefully  treasured  up  as  the 
others.  These  are  the  Traditions,  or  as  I  may 
call  them,  the  Table-Talk  of  Mohammad,  for  they 
correspond  more  nearly  to  what  we  mean  by 
table-talk  than  any  other  form  of  composition. 
The  Table-Talk  of  Mohammad  deals  with  the 
most  minute  and  delicate  circumstances  of  life,  and 
is  much  more  serviceable  to  the  lawyer  than  the 
Koran  itself  The  sayings  are  very  numerous  and 
very  detailed  ;  but  how  far  they  are  genuine  it  is 
not    easy   to   determine.     The    Koran    is  known 


liv  INTRODUCTION. 

beyond  any  doubt  to  be  at  this  moment,  in  all 
practical  respects,  identical  with  the  prophet's 
words  as  collected  immediately  after  his  death. 
How  it  was  edited  and  collected  may  be  read 
elsewhere.  The  only  point  to  be  here  insisted  on 
is  that  its  genuineness  is  above  suspicion.  Un- 
fortunately, as  much  cannot  be  said  for  the  Tradi- 
tions. They  were  collected  at  a  late  period, 
subjected  to  a  totally  useless  and  preposterous 
criticism,  and  thus  reduced  from  600,000  to  7275, 
without  becoming  in  the  least  more  trustworthy 
in  the  process.  It  is  almost  impossible  now  to 
sift  them  with  any  certainty.  All  we  can  go  upon 
is  internal  evidence,  and  a  few  obvious  contradic- 
tions in  date — as  when  people  relate  things  which 
they  apparently  heard  before  they  were  born. 
Beyond  this,  criticism  is  helpless,  and  all  we  can  do 
is  what  I  have  done  here — to  collect  those  which 
strike  the  attention  and  do  not  seem  peculiarly 
improbable,  and  accept  them  provisionally  as 
possibly  correct  reports  of  Mohammad's  table-talk. 
There  are  six  standard  collections  of  orthodox 
traditions,  but  those  on  pp.  147-182  are  taken 
from  an  abridgment,  the  Mishkat-el-Masablh, 
which  Captain  A.  N.  Matthews  had  the  patience  to 
translate  and  publish  at  Calcutta  in  1809.  In  the 
midst  of  such  doubt,  they  are  sufficient  for  the 


INTRODUCTION.  Iv 

purpose  of  illustration,   without  any  pretence   of 
completeness  or  critical  precision. 

In  conclusion,  let  us  banish  from  our  minds 
any  conception  of  the  Koran  as  a  code  of  law,  or 
a  systematic  exposition  of  a  creed.  It  is  neither 
of  these.  Let  us  only  think  of  a  simple  enthusiast 
confronted  with  many  and  varied  difficulties,  and 
trying  to  meet  them  as  best  he  could  by  the  in- 
ward light  that  guided  him.  The  guidance  was 
not  perfect,  we  know,  and  there  is  much  that  is 
blameworthy  in  Mohammad ;  but  whatever  we 
believe  of  him,  let  it  be  granted  that  his  errors 
were  not  the  result  of  premeditated  imposition,  but 
were  the  mistakes  of  an  ignorant,  impressible, 
superstitious,  but  nevertheless  noble  and  great 
man. 


March  1882. 


REFERENCES. 

In  the  Introduction,  pp.  xviii.-xxv.  and  xliv.-xlviii. , 
appeared  before  in  my  Introduction  to  Lane's  Selections 
from  the  Kiirdn,  2nd  ed.  (Triibner's  Oriental  series, 
1879),  to  which  I  must  refer  the  reader  for  further  in- 
formation on  Mohammad  and  Islam,  and  especially  con- 
cerning the  portions  of  the  Koran  dealing  with  the  Jewish 
legends  purposely  omitted  from  the  present  work.  Pp. 
xxxv.-xxxviii.  reproduce  a  few  paragraphs  from  the  Edin- 
hirgh  Revino,  No.  316,  October  1881,  p.  371,  ff.  The 
Arab  poetiy  quoted  in  the  Introduction  is  from  the  ad- 
mirable versions  contributed  by  Mr.  C.  J.  Lyall  to  the 
Journal  of  the  Asiatic  Society  of  Bengal,  1877  and  1881. 
The  description  of  Mohammad's  person  and  mode  of  life, 
pp.  xxvii.-xxix.,  is  from  E.  Deutsch,  Literary  Rein ains, 
p.  70,  fF;  and  R.  Bosworth  Smith,  Mohammed  and  Mo- 
hammedanism, 2d  ed.,  p.  131;  to  which,  and  to  the 
Rev.  E.  Sell's  Faith  of  Islam,  in  many  respects  the  best 
treatise  on  the  Mohammadan  religion,  as  it  now  is,  that 
has  appeared  in  recent  years,  the  reader  is  referred  for 
much  concerning  modern  and  historical  Mohammadanism 
which  is  beyond  the  design  of  the  present  volume. 

In  the  text,  I  must  acknowledge  my  general  indebted- 
ness to  the  versions  of  George  Sale  and  the  Rev.  J.  M. 
Rodwell  for  many  valuable  interpretations  ;  but  I  wish 
especially  to  record  my  obligations  to  Prof.  E.  H. 
Palmer,  in  respect  of  some  fine  renderings  which  he  has 
been  the  first  to  use  in  his  translation  of  the  Koran  for 
the  series  of  Sacred  Books  of  the  East,  and  which  I  have 
not  hesitated  to  adopt. 

S.  L.-P. 


ANALYTICAL  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


INTRODUCTION 

The  Koran  is  capable  of  adequate  representa- 
tion in  small  compass  and  approximately 
chronological  order.  The  original  audience 
of  Mohammad's  speeches  :  Arabian  charac- 
teristics in  desert-life  and  town-life,  poetry 
and  religion.  Mohammad's  early  life,  per- 
son and  habits,  call  to  preach,  and  work 
at  Mekka.  The  three  periods  of  Mekka 
speeches.  Change  of  position  at  Medina, 
and  consequent  change  in  oratory.  The 
Medina  speeches.  Incompleteness  of  the 
law  of  the  Koran.  The  Traditions  or 
Table-talk.     References. 

THE  SPEECHES  AT  MEKKA      . 

I.  — THE  POETIC  PERIOD.     Aet.  40-44, 

A.D.  609-613 

The  Night  (xcii.) 

The  difference  between  the  good  and  the 
wicked  in  their  lives  and  their  future 
states ;  warning  of  hell  and  promise  of 
heaven. 


PAGE 


Iviii  TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

The  Country  (xc.) 5 

The  steep  road  to  the  life  to  come  is  by 
charity  and  faith. 

The  Smiting  (ci.) 7 

The  terrors  of  the  Judgment  Day  and  the 
Bottomless  Pit. 

The  Quaking  (xcix.) 8 

Signs  of  the  Last  Day,  when  all  secrets  shall 
be  revealed. 

The  Rending  Asunder  (Ixxxii.)        .        .  9 

Signs  of  the  Last  Day ;  man's  unbelief; 
angels  record  his  actions,  by  which  his 
fate  shall  be  decided. 

The  Chargers  (c.) 11 

Man's  ingratitude  towards  God  will  be  ex- 
posed on  the  Last  Day. 

Support  (cvii.) -    .        12 

Uncharitable  hypocrites  denounced. 

The  Backbiter  (civ.)         ....        13 

The  covetous  slanderer  shall  be  cast  into 
Blasting  Hell. 

The  Splendour  OF  Morning  (xciii.)         .        14 
The  goodness  of  God  towards  Mohammad 
must  be  imitated  towards  others. 

The  Most  High  (Ixxxvii.)  .        .        .        .        15 
God  the  Creator  is  to  be  magnified.     Mo- 
hammad  is   enjoined   to    admonish    the 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS.  lix 

PAGE 

people ;  the  opposite  fates  of  those  who 
hearken  and  those  who  turn  away ;  the 
message  is  the  same  as  that  deUvered  by 
Abraham  and  Moses. 

The  Wrapping  (Ixxxi.)  .  .  .  .  17 
Signs  of  the  Last  Day.  Authenticity  of  the 
Koran :  Mohammad  neither  mad  nor 
possessed.  The  Koran  a  reminder,  but 
man  is  powerless  to  follow  it  except  by 
God's  decree. 

The  News  (Ixxviii.) 19 

Men  dispute  about  the  Last  Day :  yet  it  shall 
come  as  surely  as  God  created  all  things. 
The  last  trump  and  the  gathering  of  man- 
kind to  judgment.  Description  of  the 
torments  of  Hell  and  the  delights  of 
Paradise. 

The  Fact  (Ivi. )  .        .        .        .        .        .        22 

Signs  of  the  Last  Day.  The  three  kinds  of 
men — prophets,  righteous,  and  wicked — 
and  the  future  state  of  each.  The  power 
of  God  shown  in  creation.  The  Koran 
true  and  sacred.     The  state  after  death. 

The  Merciful  (Iv.) 27 

A  Bencdicite  reciting  the  works  of  God,  and 
the  Judgment  and  Paradise  and  Hell, 
with  a  refrain  challenging  genii  and  man- 
kind to  deny  His  signs. 


Ix  TABLE   OF   CONTENTS. 


PAGE 


The  Unity  (cxii.) 32 

A  profession  of  faith  in  on?  God. 

The  Fatihah  (i.) :^^ 

A  prayer  for  guidance  and  help  :  the  MusHm 
Paternoster. 

II. — THE  RHE TORICAL  PERIOD.    Aet. 

44-46,  A.D.  613-615     ....         35 

The  Kingdom  (Lwii.)  •        ...        37 

The  power  of  God  shown  in  creation  ;  Hell 
the  reward  of  those  who  disbeheve  in 
God's  messengers  and  discredit  His  signs. 
None  but  God  knows  when  the  Last  Day 
will  be. 

The  Moon  (liv.) 41 

The  Judgment  approaches,  but  men  will  not 
heed  the  warning,  and  call  it  a  lie  and 
magic.  Even  so  did  former  generations 
reject  their  apostles  :  the  people  of  Noah, 
Ad,  Thamud,  Lot,  Pharaoh  ;  and  there 
came  ujDon  all  of  them  a  grievous  punish- 
ment. Neither  shall  the  men  of  Mekka 
escape.  Refrain :  the  certainty  of  punish- 
ment and  the  heedlessness  of  man. 

K.  (1.) 45 

Why  is  the  Resurrection  so  incredible  ?  Does 
not  God  continually  create  and  re-create  ? 
Former  generations  were  equally  incredu- 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS.  Ixi 

PAGE 

lous,  but  they  all  found  the  threat  of 
punishment  was  true.  So  shall  it  be 
again.  The  recording  angels  shall  bear 
witness,  and  hell  shall  be  filled.  Who 
can  escape  God,  who  created  all  things, 
and  to  whom  all  things  must  one  day 
return  ? 

.S.  (xxxvi.) 49 

Mohammad  a  true  messenger  from  God  to 
warn  the  people,  whose  ancestors  would 
not  be  warned.  God  hardens  their  hearts 
so  that  they  cannot  believe.  Everything 
is  written  down  in  the  Book  of  God. 
Just  so  did  the  people  of  Antioch  reject 
the  apostles  of  Jesus,  and  stoned  the  only 
convert  among  themselves ;  and  there 
came  a  shout  from  heaven  and  extermin- 
ated them.  Why  do  not  men  reflect  on 
such  warnings  ?  Signs  of  the  Resurrection 
are  seen  in  the  revival  of  spring  and  the 
growth  of  plants,  and  the  alternations  of 
night  and  day,  and  the  changes  of  the  sun 
and  moon,  and  the  ships  that  sail  on  the 
sea.  Yet  they  are  not  convinced  !  The 
Last  Day  shall  come  upon  them  suddenly. 
Paradise  and  Hell.  The  Koran  not  a 
poem,  but  a  plain  warning  of  God's  might 
and  judgment  to  come.  Their  idols 
need  protection  instead  of  giving  it.  God 
who  first  made  life  can  quicken  it  again  : 
his  "  Fiat"  is  instantly  carried  out. 


Ixii  TABLE   OF    CONTENTS. 


PAGE 


The  Children  OF  Israel  (xvii.)      .        .        57 

The  dream  of  the  journey  to  Jerusalem. 
The  two  sins  of  the  children  of  Israel  and 
their  punishments.  The  Koran  gives 
promise  of  a  great  reward  for  righteous- 
ness and  an  aching  torment  for  disbelief. 
Each  man  shall  be  judged  by  his  own 
deeds,  and  none  shall  be  punished  for 
another's  sin  ;  nor  was  any  folk  destroyed 
without  warning.  Kindness  and  respect 
to  parents,  and  duty  to  kinsfolk  and 
travellers  and  the  poor ;  hospitality,  yet 
without  waste ;  faithfulness  in  engage- 
ments, and  honesty  in  trading,  enjoined. 
Idolatry,  infanticide,  inchastity,  homicide 
(except  in  a  just  cause  and  in  fair  retalia- 
tion), and  abusing  orphans'  trust,  and 
pride,  forbidden.  The  angels  are  not  the 
daughters  of  God  :  He  has  no  partner, 
and  the  whole  creation  worships  Him. 
But  God  hardens  people's  hearts  so  that 
they  turn  away  from  the  Koran.  The 
Resurrection  is  nearer  than  they  think. 
The  faithful  must  speak  pleasantly  and  not 
wrangle.  Mohammad  has  no  power  to 
compel  belief.  The  false  gods  themselves 
dread  God's  torment.  The  power  of 
working  miracles  was  not  given  to  Mo- 
hammad, because  the  people  of  yore  al- 
ways disbelieved  in  them  :  so  Thamud 
with  the  miraculous  camel.     The  story  of 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS.  Ixiii 

PAGE 

the  devil's  original  enmity  to  Adam  ;  but 
the  devil  cannot  protect  his  followers 
against  God,  to  whom  belongs  all  power 
on  land  and  sea,  and  whose  is  the  Judg- 
ment. Mohammad  nearly  tempted  to 
temporize.  Prayer  at  sunset  and  dawn 
and  night  vigils  commended.  Man's  in- 
sincerity. The  spirit  sent  from  God. 
The  Koran  inimitable.  The  demand  for 
miracles  and  for  angelic  messengers  re- 
pudiated. The  fate  of  those  who  dis- 
believe in  the  resurrection.  Moses  and 
Pharaoh  :  the  consequences  of  unbelief. 
The  Koran  divided  for  convenience.  The 
solace  of  the  faithful.  God  and  the 
Merciful  the  same  deity. 

III.— THE  ARGUMENTATIVE  PERIOD. 

Aet.  46-53,  A.D.  615-622      ■        .        .         1Z 

The  Believer  (xl.) 75 

The  revelation  is  from  God.  Former  gener- 
ations rejected  their  apostles  and  were 
punished.  The  angels  praise  God.  The 
despair  of  the  damned.  The  great  tryst : 
the  judgment  of  God  is  unerring.  The 
generations  of  yore  were  greater  than 
those  of  to-day :  yet  nothing  could  save 
them  from  God.  The  history  of  Moses 
and  Pharaoh  and  the  Egyptian  convert, 
and  the  evil  fate  of  the  infidels.  The 
proud  shall  not  win  in  the  end.     Praise 


Ixiv  TABLE   OF    CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

of  God  in  His  attributes.  Hell  is  the  goal 
of  idolaters  and  polytheists.  Patience 
enjoined  upon  Mohammad.  The  signs 
of  God's  might  and  the  dire  consequences 
of  doubting  it. 

Jonah  (x.) 87 

Repudiation  of  sorcery.  Signs  of  God's 
power,  and  the  consequences  of  believing 
and  disbelieving  them.  Insincerity  of 
man :  but  former  generations  were  de- 
stroyed for  unbelief.  INIohammad  has  no 
power  to  speak  the  Koran  save  as  God 
reveals  it.  Idolatry  ridiculed.  Miracles 
disclaimed.  Man  believes  when  he  is 
in  danger,  and  disbelieves  when  he  is 
rescued.  The  life  of  this  world  like  grass 
that  will  be  mown  to-morrow.  The 
reward  of  well  and  evil  doing  and  the 
judgment  of  idolaters.  God's  might  in 
creation.  The  Koran  no  forgery,  as  will 
be  plainly  seen  one  day.  Every  nation 
has  its  apostle  and  its  appointed  term, 
which  cannot  be  hastened  or  retarded. 
Now  the  people  are  warned,  and  all  they 
do  is  seen  of  God.  God's  power  :  He 
has  no  Son.  The  story  of  Noah  and  the 
ark,  and  Moses  and  the  magicians,  and 
the  passage  of  the  Red  Sea,  and  the 
establishing  of  the  Children  of  Israel, 
The  people  of  Jonah.  God  comj^els  un- 
belief or  belief  as  He  pleases,  and  none 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS.  Ixv 

PAGE 

can  believe  without  His  permission.  The 
signs  of  God  are  in  the  heavens  and  the 
earth.     True  worship. 

Thunder  (xiii.) 104 

The  mighty  works  of  God.  The  punish- 
ment of  unbehef.  Miracles  disclaimed. 
The  omniscience  and  unvariableness  of 
God,  the  hurler  of  thunder  and  lightning 
and  the  giver  of  rain.  The  reward  of  the 
faithful ;  the  torment  of  apostates.  God 
misleads  whom  He  will,  and,  if  He  pleased, 
could,  guide  all  mankind  aright.  Apostles 
have  been  mocked  at  before  :  and  the 
mockers  were  punished.  Paradise.  IVIo- 
hammad's  task  is  only  to  warn  :  it  is  God's 
business  to  punish. 

SPEECHES  OF  MEDINA      .        .         .        .113 
THE  PERIOD   OF  HARANGUE.     Aet. 

53-63,  A.D.  622-632       ....         113 

Deception  (Ixiv.) 115 

God's  power  in  creation.  Former  apostles 
were  rejected.  The  resurrection,  though 
disbelieved,  is  a  fact — a  day  when  people 
shall  find  their  hopes  are  deceptive.  Para- 
dise and  Hell.  All  things  are  ordained 
by  God.  Obedience  to  God  and  the 
apostle  enjoined.  The  pleasures  of  this 
world  are  to  be  distrusted,  but  the  fear  of 
God  and  almsgiving  commendable. 


Ixvi  TABLE    OF   CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Iron  (Ivii.) ii8 

"Praise  of  God  and  exhortation  to  belief  and 
almsgiving  and  fighting  for  the  faith. 
The  future  state  of  the  faithful  and  of 
the  hypocrites.  The  charitable  shall  be 
doubly  rewarded.  The  present  life  only 
a  pastime  and  delusion.  Everything  pre- 
destined. The  sending  of  the  apostles, 
of  Noah,  Abraham,  and  Jesus.  Asceti- 
cism repudiated.  Exhortation  to  faith 
and  fear. 

The  Victory  (xlviii. ) 124 

A  victory  was  given  to  encourage  the  faith- 
ful. Commendation  of  those  who  pledged 
themselves  to  support  Mohammad  and 
rebuke  to  the  desert  Arabs  who  held 
aloof  (on  the  occasion  of  the  expedition 
to  Hudeybia) ;  they  shall  not  share  in 
the  spoil  (of  Khaibar).  Promise  of  booty. 
The  truce  (of  Hudeybia).  The  opposi- 
tion to  Mohammad's  pilgrimage  to  Mekka 
shall  be  withdrawn  ;  and  a  victory  shall 
soon  be  won.  The  devotion  of  the  faith- 
ful and  their  likeness. 


Help  (ex.) 130 

Exhortation  to  praise  God  in  the  hour  of 
triumph. 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS. 


Ixvii 


THE  LAW  GIVEN  AT  MEDINA 

Religious  Law 

Creed  and  good  works.  Prayer.  Alms. 
Fast.  Pilgrimage.  Fighting  for  the  faith. 
Sacred  month.  Forbidden  food.  Oaths. 
Wine.    Gambling.    Statues.    Divination. 


PAGE 


Civil  and  Criminal  Law 

Homicide  ;  the  blood-wit ;  murder  ;  retali- 
ation. Fighting  against  the  faith.  Theft. 
Usury.  Marriage  ;  adultery  ;  divorce  ; 
slander.  Testaments  and  heirs.  Main- 
tenance for  widows.  Testimony.  Freeing 
slaves.  Asylum.  Small  offences  and 
great. 


139 


THE  TABLE-TALK  OF  MOHAMMAD 

Of  prayer 

Of  charity 

Of  fasting 

Of  reading  the  Koran 

Of  labour  and  profit 

Of  fighting  for  the  faith 

Of  judgments 


Of  women  and  slav 
Of  dumb  animals 
Of  hospitality 
Of  government 


es 


145 

149 

151 
153 
154 
155 
159 
160 
161 
164 
165 
166 


Ixviii  TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Of  vanities i68 

Of  death         ......  172 

Of  the  state  after  death  .         .         .         .  175 

Of  destiny 180 

Notes 183 

Index  of  chapters  of  the  Koran  translated      .  196 


THE   SPEECHES   AT   MEKKA 


I.    THE    POETIC   PERIOD 

Aef.  40-44 
A.D.  609-613 


THE  NIGHT. 

In  the  Name  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the  MercifuL 

By  the  Night  when  she  spreadeth  her  veil, 
By  the  Day  when  it  is  manifested, 
By  what  made  the  male  and  the  female  : 
Verily  your  aims  are  diverse. 

Then  as  for  him  who  giveth  alms  and  feareth  God, 

And  putteth  his  faith  in  the  Best, 

We  will  speed  him  onward  to  ease. 

And  as  for  him  who  is  covetous  and  desirous  of 

riches, 
And  denieth  the  Best, 
We  will  speed  him  onward  to  trouble  ; 
And  his  riches  shall  not  avail  him  when  he  falleth 

down  into  Hell. 
Verily  ours  is  the  guiding, 
And  ours  the  latter  and  the  former  life. 

And  I  have  warned  you  of  a  flaming  fire  : 
None  shall  be  burned  in  it  but  the  wretch. 
Who  hath  called  it  a  lie  and  turned  his  back. 


4  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

But  the  righteous  shall  be  guided  away  from  it- 
He  that  giveth  his  substance  in  charity, 
And  doeth  no  man  a  kindness  in  hope  of  reward, 
But  only  in  seeking  the  face  of  his  Lord  the  Most 

High; 
And  in  the  end  he  shall  surely  be  well  pleased. 

.    (xcii.) 


THE  COUNTRY. 


THE  COUNTRY. 

/;;  the  Name  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the  Merciful. 

I  SWEAR  by  this  Country — 

And  thou  art  a  dweller  in  this  country — 

And  by  father  and  child  ! 

Verily  we  have  created  man  amid  trouble  : — 

Doth  he  think  that  no  one  shall  prevail  against 

him  ? 
He  saith  "  I  have  squandered  riches  in  abundance : " 
Doth  he  think  that  no  one  seeth  him  ? 
Have  we  not  made  him  two  eyes, 
And  a  tongue  and  two  lips, 
And  pointed  him  out  the  two  highways  ? 
Yet  he  doth  not  attempt  the  steep  one. 
And  what  shall  teach  thee  what  the  steep  one  is  ? 
The  ransoming  of  captives, 
Or  feeding  on  the  day  of  famine 
The  orphan  of  thy  kindred 
Or  the  poor  that  Heth  in  the  dust  ; 
Finally,  to  be  of  those  who   believe,  and  enjoin 

steadfastness  on  each  other,  and  enjoin  mercy 

on  each  other  : — 


6  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

These  are  the  people  of  the  right  hand. 

And  those  who  disbelieve  in  our  signs,  they  are 

the  people  of  the  left : 
Over  them  a  Fire  closeth. 

(xc.) 


THE  SMITING. 


THE  SMITING. 

In  the  Name  of  God^  the  Compassionate^  the  Merciful, 

The  Smiting  !  what  is  the  Smiting  ? 

And  what  shall  teach  thee  what  the  Smiting  is  ? 

The  Day  when  men  shall  be  like  scattered  moths, 

And  the  mountains  like  carded  wool  ! 

Then  as  for  him  whose  scales  are  heavy — his  shall 

be  a  life  well-pleasing. 
And  as  for  him  whose  scales  are  light — his  abode 

shall  be  the  Bottomless  Pit. 
And  what  shall  teach  thee  what  that  is  ? 


A  Raging  Fire  ! 


(ci.) 


MEKKA  SPEECHES. 


THE  QUAKING. 

In  the  Name  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the  Merciful. 

When  the  earth  shall  quake  with  her  quaking, 
And  when  the  earth  hath  cast  forth  her  burdens, 
And  man  shall  say,  "  What  aileth  her  ?" 
On  that  day  shall  she  tell  out  her  tidings. 
Because  thy  Lord  doth  inspire  her. 
On  that  day  shall  men  come  in  companies  to  be- 
hold their  works, 
And  whosoever  hath  wrought  an  ant's  weight  of 

good  shall  behold  it, 
And  whosoever  hath  wrought  an  ant's  weight  of 
evil  shall  behold  it. 

(xcix.) 


THE  RENDING  ASUNDER. 


THE    RENDING   ASUNDER. 

In  the  N'ame  of  God,  the  Compassionate^  the  Merciful. 

When  the  Heaven  is  rent  asunder, 

And  when  the  stars  are  scattered, 

And  when  the  seas  are  let  loose. 

And  when  the  tombs  are  turned  upside-down, 

The  soul  shall  know  what  it  hath  done  and  left 

undone. 
O  man  !  what  hath  deceived  thee  respecting  thy 

Lord,  the  Generous  ; 
Who    created   thee,    and   fashioned   thee,    and 

moulded  thee  aright .? 
In  what  form  it  pleased  him  He  builded  thee. 
Nay  !  but  ye  take  the  Judgment  for  a  lie  ! 
But  verily  there  are  watchers  over  you— 
Worthy  reporters — 
Knowing  what  ye  do. 
Verily  the  righteous  shall  be  in  delight. 
And  the  wicked  in  Hell-Fire  : 
They  shall  be  burnt  at  it  on  the  day  of  doom. 


lo  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

And  they  shall  not  be  hidden  from  it. 

What  shall  teach  thee  what  is  the  Day  of  Judgment? 

Again,  what  shall  teach  thee  what  is  the  Day  of 

Judgment  ? 
A  day  when  no  soul  can  avail  aught  for  another 

soul,  for  the  ordering  on  that  day  is  with  God. 

(Ixxxii.) 


THE  CHARGERS.  n 


THE  CHARGERS. 

In  the  Name  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the  Merciful. 

By  the  Chargers  that  pant, 
And  the  hoofs  that  strike  fire, 
And  the  scourers  at  dawn, 
Who  stir  up  the  dust  with  it, 
And  cleave  through  a  host  with  it ! 

Verily  Man  is  thankless  towards  his  Lord, 
And  verily  he  is  witness  thereof. 
And  verily  in  his  love  of  weal  he  is  grasping. 
Doth  he  not  know  ? — when  what  is  in  the  tombs 

shall  be  laid  open. 
And  what  is  in  men's  breasts  shall  be  laid  bare  ; 
Verily  on  that  day  their  Lord  shall  know  them  well ! 


12  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 


SUPPORT. 

In  the  Name  of  God,  the  Compassiouate,  the  Alerciful, 

What  thinkest  thou  of  him  who  calleth  the  Day  of 

Judgment  a  he  ? 
He  it  is  who  driveth  away  the  orphan, 
And  is  not  urgent  for  the  feeding  of  the  poor. 
Woe  then  to  those  who  pray, 
Those  who  are  careless  in  their  prayers, 
Who  make  a  pretence, 
But  withhold  SUPPORT. 

(cvii.) 


THE  BACKBITER.  13 


THE  BACKBITER. 

In  the  Name  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the  Merciful. 

Woe  to  every  backbiter,  slanderer  ! 
Who  hath  heaped  up  riches  and  counted  them  over  ! 
He  thinketh  that  his  riches  have  made  him  ever- 
lasting : 
Nay !  he  shall  surely  be  cast  into  Blasting  Hell. 
And  what  shall  teach  thee  what  Blasting  Hell  is  ? 
The  fire  of  God  kindled, 
Which  reaches  over  the  hearts  ; 
Verily  it  is  closed  over  them  [like  a  tent], 
With  stays  well-stretched. 

(civ.) 


14  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 


THE  SPLENDOUR  OF  MORNING. 

/;/  the  Name  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the  Mercifttl. 

By  the  SPLENDOUR  OF  MORNING, 

And  the  still  of  night ! 

Thy  Lord  hath  not  forsaken  thee  nor  hated  thee ; 

And  the  future  will  surely  be  better  for  thee  than 

the  present, 
And  thy  Lord  will  surely  give  to  thee  and  thou 

wilt  be  well  pleased. 
Did  He  not  find  thee  an  orphan  and  sheltered  thee, 
And  found  thee  erring  and  guided  thee, 
And  found  thee  poor  and  enriched  thee  1 
Then  as  for  the  orphan,  oppress  him  not, 
And  as  for  him  who  asketh  of  thee,  chide  him  not 

away. 
And  as  for  the  bounty  of  thy  Lord,  tell  of  it. 

(xciii.) 


THE  MOST  HIGH.  15 


THE  MOST  HIGH. 

In  the  N'avie  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the  Mercifnl. 

Magnify  the  name  of  thy  Lord,  The  Most  High, 

Who  created,  and  fashioned. 

And  decreed,  and  guided, 

Who  bringeth  forth  the  pasturage, 

Then  turneth  it  dry  and  brown. 

We  will  make  thee  cry  aloud,  and  thou  shalt  not 

forget, 
Except  what  God  pleaseth  ;    verily  He   knoweth 

the  plain  and  the  hidden. 
And  we  will  speed  thee  to  ease. 
Admonish,    therefore,  —  verily   admonishing    pro- 

fiteth, — 
Whoso  feareth  God  will  mind  ; 
And  there  will  turn  away  from  it  only  the  wretch 
Who  shall  broil  upon  the  mighty  fire  ; 
And  then  shall  neither  die  therein,  nor  live. 
Happy  is  he  who  purifieth  himself, 
And   remembereth  the    name  of  his    Lord,    and 

prayeth. 


i6  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

But  ye  prefer  the  life  of  this  world, 
Though  the  life  to  come  is  better  and  more  en- 
during. 
Truly  this  is  in  the  books  of  eld, 
The  books  of  Abraham  and  Moses. 

(Ixxxvii.) 


THE  WRAPPING.  17 


THE    WRAPPING. 

/;/  the  Najne  of  God^  the  Compassionate^  the  Merciful. 

When  the  sun  shall  be  wrapped  up, 

And  when  the  stars  shall  fall  down, 

And  when  the  mountains  shall  be  removed. 

And  when  the  ten-month  camels  shall  be  neglected, 

And  when  the  wild  beasts  shall  be  huddled  together. 

And  when  the  seas  shall  boil  over. 

And  when  souls  shall  be  joined  to  their  bodies. 

And  when  the  child  that  was  buried  alive  shall  be 

asked 
For  what  crime  she  was  slain  ; 
And  when  the  Books  shall  be  laid  open, 
And  when  the  sky  shall  be  peeled  off. 
And  when  Hell  shall  be  set  a-blaze. 
And  when  Paradise  shall  be  brought  near, — 
The  soul  shall  know  what  it  hath  wrought. 

And  I  swear  by  the  stars  that  hide, 
That  move  swiftly  and  hide. 
And  by  the  darkening  night. 
And  by  the  breath  of  dawn, — 

c 


i8  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

Verily  this  is  the  word  of  a  noble  messenger, 

Strong,  firm  in  the  favour  of  the  Lord  of  the  Throne, 

Obeyed  and  trusted. 

And  your  companion  is  not  mad  : 

Of  a  surety  he  saw  [the  Angel]  on  the  clear  horizon  : 

And  he  is  not  mistrusted  as  to  the  unseen, 

Nor  is  his  the  speech  of  a  pelted  devil. 

Then  whither  go  ye  ? 

Verily  this  is  but  a  Reminder  to  the  worlds. 

To  whomsoever  of  you  chooseth  to  walk  aright  : 

But  ye  shall  not  choose  it,  except  God  choose  it, 

the  Lord  of  the  Avorlds. 

(Ixxxi.) 


THE  NEWS.  19 


THE    NEWS. 

/;/  the  Name  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the  MercifiiL 

Of  what  do  they  question  together  ? 

Of  the  great  News, 

About  which  they  dispute  ? 

Nay,  but  they  shall  know  ! 

Again, — Nay,  but  they  shall  know  ! 

Have  we  not  made  the  earth  as  a  bed  ? 

And  the  mountains  as  tent-pegs  ? 

And  created  you  in  pairs, 

And  made  your  sleep  for  rest, 

And  made  the  night  for  a  mantle. 

And  made  the  day  for  bread-winning, 

And  built  above  you  seven  firmaments. 

And  put  therein  a  burning  lamp. 

And  sent  down  water  pouring  from  the  squeezed 

clouds 
To  bring  forth  grain  and  herb  withal. 
And  gardens  thick  with  trees  t 

Lo  !  the  Day  of  Decision  is  appointed — 
The   day  when  there  shall   be  a  blowing  of  the 
trumpet,  and  ye  shall  come  in  troops, 


20  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

And  the  heavens  shall  be  opened,  and  be  full  of 

gates, 
And   the  mountains  shall   be  removed,  and  turn 

into  mist. 
Verily  Hell  lieth  in  wait, 
The  goal  for  rebels. 
To  abide  therein  for  ages  ; 
They  shall  not  taste  therein  coolness  nor  drink, 
Save  scalding  water  and  running  sores, — 
A  meet  reward  ! 

Verily  they  did  not  expect  the  reckoning. 
And  they  denied  our  signs  with  lies  ; 
But  everything  have  we  recorded  in  a  book  : — 
"  Taste  then :  for  we  will  only  add  torment  to  you." 
Verily  for  the  pious  is  a  place  of  joy, 
Gardens  and  vineyards. 
And  full-bosomed  girls,  their  mates. 
And  a  cup  brimming  over  : 
There  shall  they  hear  neither  folly  nor  lying  ; — 
A  reward  of  thy  Lord — a  gift  sufficient, 
Of  the  Lord  of  the  heavens  and  of  the  earth,  and 

of  what  is  between  them,  the  Merciful ! 
They  shall  not  obtain  speech  of  him  : — 
On  the  day  when  the  Spirit  and  the  Angels  shall 

stand  in  ranks,  they  shall  have  no  utterance, 

save  he  to  whom  the  Merciful  shall  give  leave, 

and  who  speaketh  rightly. 


THE  NEWS.  21 

That  is  the  day  of  truth  !  Then  he  that  chooseth, 
let  him  make  for  his  Lord  as  his  goal. 

Verily  we  warn  you  of  torment  nigh  at  hand  ; 

On  the  day  when  man  shall  see  what  his  hands 
have  sent  before  him,  and  the  unbeliever  shall 
say,  '<0h  !  that  I  were  dust." 

(Ixxviii.) 


22  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 


THE  FACT. 

In  the  Name  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the  JMeniftd. 

When  the  Fact  becomes  fact, 

None  shall  deny  it  is  a  fact, — 

Abasing, — exalting  ! 

When  the  earth  shall  be  shaken  in  a  shock. 

And  the  mountains  shall  be  powdered  in  powder, 

And  become  like  flying  dust. 

And  ye  shall  be  three  kinds. 

Then  the  people  of  the  right  hand — what  people 

of  good  omen  ! 
And  the  people  of  the  left  hand — what  people  of 

ill  omen  ! 
And  the  outstrippers,  still  outstripping  : — 
These  are  the  nearest  [to  God], 
In  gardens  of  delight ; 
A  crowd  of  the  men  of  yore, 
And  a  few  of  the  latter  days  ; 
Upon  inwrought  couches. 
Reclining  thereon  face  to  face. 
Youths  ever  young  shall  go  unto  them  round  about 


THE  FACT.  23 

With   goblets   and   ewers    and   a    cup   of  flowing 

wine, — 
Their  heads  shall  not  ache  with  it,  neither  shall 

they  be  confused  ; 
And  fruits  of  their  choice, 
And  flesh  of  birds  to  their  desire  ; 
And  damsels  with  bright  eyes  like  hidden  pearls, — 
A  reward  for  what  they  have  wrought. 
They  shall  hear  no  folly  therein,  nor  any  sin, 
But  only  the  greeting,  "  Peace  !  peace  !" 

And  the  people  of  the  right  hand — what  people  of 

good  omen ! 
Amid  thornless  lote-trees. 
And  bananas  laden  with  fruit, 
And  shade  outspread, 
And  water  flowing, 
And  fruit  abundant, 
Never  failing,  nor  forbidden. 
And  wives  exalted — 
Verily  w^e  produced  them  specially 
And  made  them  virgins, 
Amorous,  of  equal  age. 
For  the  people  of  the  right  hand,— 
A  crowd  of  the  men  of  yore, 
And  a  crowd  of  the  latter  days. 


24  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

But  the  people  of  the  left  hand — what  people  of 

ill  omen  ! — 
Amid  burning  wind  and  scalding  water, 
And  a  shade  of  black  smoke, 
Not  cool  or  grateful ! 

Verily,  before  that,  they  were  prosperous  ; 
But  they  persisted  in  the  most  grievous  sin. 
And  used  to  say, 
"  When  we  have  died,  and  become  dust  and  bones, 

shall  we  indeed  be  raised  again, 
And  our  fathers  the  men  of  yore  ? " 
Say  :  Verily  those  of  yore  and  of  the  latter  days 
Shall  surely  be  gathered  to  the  trysting-place  of  a 

day  which  is  known. 
Then  ye,  O  ye  who  err  and  call  it  a  lie, 
Shall  surely  eat  of  the  tree  of  Zakkum, 
And  fill  your  bellies  with  it. 
And  drink  upon  it  scalding  water, — 
Drink  like  the  thirsty  camel  : — 
This  shall  be  their  entertainment  on  the  Uay  of 

Judgment ! 

It  is  we  who  created  you ;   why  then  will  ye  not 

believe  ? 
Have  ye  considered  the  germs  of  life — 
Is  it  ye  who  create  them,  or  are  we  the  creators? 


THE  FACT.  25 

It  is  we  who  have  decreed  death  among  you  ;  yet 

are  we  not  debarred 
From  changing  you  for  your  likes,  or  producing  you 

how  ye  know  not. 
But  ye  have  known  the  first  creation  :  why  will  ye 

not  mind  ? 
Have  ye  considered  what  ye  sow  ? 
Is  it  ye  who  raise  it,  or  are  we  the  raisers  thereof? 
If  we  pleased  we  could  surely  make  it  dry,  so  that 

ye  would  stop  and  marvel,  [saying] 
"  We  have  spent,  yet  we  are  forbidden  [the  fruits]." 
Have  ye  considered  the  water  ye  drink  } 
Is  it  ye  who  send  it  down  from  the  clouds,  or  do 

we  send  it  down  ? 
If  we  pleased  we  could  make  it  salt ;  why  will  ye 

not  be  thankful  ? 
Have  ye  considered  the  fire  which  ye  kindle  ? 
Is  it  ye  who  make  the  wood  that  produces  it,  or 

do  we  make  it  1 
It  is  we  who  have  made  it  for  a  reminder  and  a 

benefit  to  the  traveller. 
Then   magnify  the   name   of  thy  Lord  the  Most 

Great. 

And  I  swear  by  the  setting-places  of  the  stars. 
And  that,  if  ye  knew  it,  is  verily  a  mighty  oath, 
Verily  this  is  the  honourable  Koran, 


26  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

Written  in  the  preserved  Book  : 

Let  none  touch  it  but  the  purified, — 

A  revelation  from  the  Lord  of  the  worlds. 

Will  ye  then  disdain  this  discourse, 

And  make  it  your  daily  bread  to  discredit  it  ? 

Why  then  when  the  dying  man's  soul  has  come 
up  to  his  throat, 

And  ye  at  the  moment  are  watching, — 

And  we  are  nearer  to  him  than  ye,  although  ye 
see  us  not, — 

Why,  if  ye  are  to  have  no  Judgment, 

Do  ye  not  cause  that  soul  to  return,  if  ye  speak 
the  truth  ? 

But  if  he  be  one  of  those  brought  nearest  to  God, 

There  is  rest  for  him  and  sweet  odour  and  a  gar- 
den of  delights. 

And  if  he  be  of  the  people  of  the  right  hand, 

[He  shall  be  greeted  with]  '^  Peace  to  thee,"  from 
the  people  of  the  right. 

And  if  he  be  of  those  who  call  it  a  lie. 

The  erring. 

Then  an  entertainment  of  scalding  water, 

And  broiling  in  Hell. 

Verily  this  is  assured  truth  ! 

So  magnify  the  name  of  thy  Lord  the  Most  Great. 

(Ivi.) 


THE  MERCIFUL.  27 


THE   MERCIFUL. 

In  the  A'afne  of  God,  the  Co)npassionate^  the  Merciful. 

The  merciful  hath  taught  the  Koran  ; 

He  created  man, 

Taught  him  clear  speech  ; 

The  sun  and  the  moon  in  their  courses, 

And  the  plants  and  the  trees  do  homage. 

And  the  Heaven,  He  raised  it,  and  appointed  the 

balance. 
(That  ye  should  not  transgress  in  the  balance  : — 
But  weigh  ye  justly  and  stint  not  the  balance.) 
And  the  Earth,  He  prepared  it  for  living  things, 
Therein  is  fruit,  and  the  palm  with  sheaths, 
And  grain  with  its  husk,  and  the  fragrant  herb  : 

Then  which  of  the  boimties  of  you?'  Lord  juill  ye 
twain  detiy  ? 

He  created  man  of  clay  like  a  pot. 

And  He  created  the  Jinn  of  clear  fire  : 

Theti  which  of  the  boimties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 
twain  deny  ? 

Lord  of  the  two  Easts, 

And  Lord  of  the  two  Wests  : 

Then  which  of  the  boimties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 
twain  deny  ? 


28  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

He  has  let  loose  the  two  seas  which  meet  together  ; 
Yet  between  them  is  a  barrier  they  cannot  pass  : 
Then  which  of  the  bounties  of  yojcr  Lord  will  ye 

twaiji  deny  ? 
He  bringeth  up  therefrom  pearls  great  and  small : 
The7i  which  of  the  botcnties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twain  de?iy  ? 
And  His  are  the  ships  towering  on  the  sea  like 

mountains  : 
The7i  which  of  the  bounties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twai?i  deny  ? 
All  on  the  earth  passeth  away, 
But  the   face   of  thy   Lord   abideth  endued  with 

majesty  and  honour  : 
Theii  which  of  the  bounties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twain  deny  ? 
All  things  in  the   Heaven    and  Earth  supplicate 

Him,  every  day  is  He  at  work  : 
Then  which  of  the  botmties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twaift  deny  ? 
We  will  apply  ourselves  to  you,  O  ye  two  notables  : 
Then  which  of  the  bounties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

izvaiji  deny  ? 
O    company  of  Jinn  and  men,  if  ye  are  able  to 

compass  the  boundaries  of  the  Heavens  and 

of  the  Earth,  then   compass   them  ;    but   ye 

shall  not  compass  them,  save  in  our  might : 


THE  MERCIFUL.  29 

Then  %uhich  of  the  bounties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twain  deny  ? 
There  shall  be  shot  at  you  a  flash   of  fire   and 

molten     brass ;     ye     cannot    defend    your- 
selves : 
Theji  which  of  the  bounties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twain  deny  ? 
And  when  the  Heaven  shall  be  rent  and  become 

rosy  like  a  red  hide  : 
Then  which  of  the  bounties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twain  deny  ? 
On  that  day  neither  man  nor  Jinn  shall  be  asked 

about  their  sin  : 
Then  which  of  the  bounties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twain  deny  ? 
The  sinners  shall  be  known  by  their  signs,  and 

they  shall  be  seized  by  the  forelock  and  the 

feet : 
The}i  which  of  the  bounties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twain  deny  ? 
"This  is  Hell  which  the  sinners  took  for  a  He," 
To  and  fro  shall  they  wander  between  it  and  water 

scalding  hot : 
Then  which  of  the  bounties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twain  deny  ? 
But  for  him  who  feareth  the  majesty  of  his  Lord 

[shall  be]  two  gardens  : 


30  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

Then  which  of  the  bounties  of  your  Lo?-d  will  ye 

twain  deny  ? 
With  trees  branched  over  : 
The?!  which  of  the  bonnties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twain  deny  ? 
And  therein  two  flowing  wells  : 
Then  which  of  the  bounties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twain  deity  ? 
And  therein  of  every  fruit  two  kinds  : 
Then  which  of  the  botinties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twai7t  deny  ? 
Reclining  on  couches  with  linings  of  brocade  and 

the  fruit  of  the  gardens  to  their  hand  : 
Then  which  of  the  bounties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twain  deny  ? 
Therein  the  shy-eyed  maidens  neither  man  nor  Jinn 

hath  touched  before  : 
Theji  which  of  the  bounties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twain  deny  ? 
Like  rubies  and  pearls  : 
The7i  which  of  the  boimties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twai?t  deny  ? 
Shall  the  reward  of  good  be  aught  but  good  ? 
Thett  which  of  the  boujities  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twain  deny  ? 
And  beside  these  shall  be  two  other  gardens  : 


THE  MERCIFUL.  31 


Then  which  of  the  boimties  of  yoii?-  Lord  will  ye 

twain  deny  ? 
Dark  green  in  hue  : 
Theft  which  of  the  boimties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twain  deny  ? 
With  gushing  wells  therein  : 
Then  which  of  the  boimties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twain  deny  ? 
Therein  fruit  and  palm  and  pomegranate  : 
Then  which  of  the  bounties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twain  deny  f 
Therein  the  best  and  comeliest  maids  : 
Then  tuhich  of  the  boimties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twain  deny  f 
Bright-eyed,  kept  in  tents  : 
The7i  which  of  the  boimties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twain  deny  ? 
Man  hath  not  touched  them  before,  nor  Jinn  : 
The?i  which  of  the  bounties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twain  deny  ? 
Reclining  on  green  cushions  and  fine  carpets  : 
Then  which  of  the  bounties  of  your  Lord  will  ye 

twain  deny  ? 
Blessed  be   the   name   of  thy  Lord   endued  with 

majesty  and  honour. 

(Iv.) 


32  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 


THE    UNITY. 

/;;  the  Name  of  God,  the  ComJ^assionate,  the  Merdfiil. 

Say  :  He  is  One  God; 

God  the  Eternal. 

He  begetteth  not,  nor  is  begotten  ; 

Nor  is  there  one  hke  unto  Him. 

(cxii.) 


THE  FATIHAH.  33 


THE   FATIHAH. 

In  the  Name  of  God,  the  Compassionate^  the  Merciful. 

Praise  be  to  God,  the  Lord  of  the  Worlds  ! 

The  Compassionate,  the  Merciful ! 

King  of  the  day  of  judgment ! 

Thee  we  -worship,  and  Thee  we  ask  for  help. 

Guide  us  in  the  straight  way, 

The  way  of  those  to  whom  Thou  art  gracious  ; 

Not  of  those  upon  whom  is  Thy  wrath  nor  of  the 


errmg. 


(i-) 


D 


THE   SPEECHES   AT   MEKKA 

II.  THE  RHETORICAL  PERIOD 

Aet.  44-46 
A.D.  613-615 


THE   KINGDOM. 

///  the  Name  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the  Merciful. 

Blessed  be  He  in  whose  hand  is  the  Kingdom  : 

and  He  is  powerful  over  all ; 
Who  created  death  and  life  to  prove  you  which  of 

you  is  best  in  actions,  and  He  is  the  Mighty, 

the  Very  Forgiving  ; 
Who  hath  created  seven  heavens  in  stages  :  thou 

seest  no  fault  in  the  creation  of  the  Merciful ; 

but  lift  up  thine  eyes  again  ;  dost  thou  see 

any  cracks  ? 
Then  lift  up  the  eyes  again  twice  ;  thy  sight  will 

recoil  to  thee  dazzled  and  dim. 
Moreover,  we  have  decked  the  lower  heaven  with 

lamps,  and  have  made  them  for  pelting  the 

devils,  and  we  have  prepared  for  them  the 

torment  of  the  flame. 
And  for  those  who  disbelieve  in  their  Lord,  the 

torment  of  Hell :  and  evil  the  journey  to  it ! 
When  they  shall  be  cast  into  it,  they  shall  hark  to 

its  braying  as  it  boileth  ; — 
It  shall  well-nigh  burst  with  fury  !     Every  time  a 

troop  is  thrown  into  it,  its  keepers  shall  ask 

them,  "  Did  not  a  warner  come  to  you  ?" 
They  shall  say,  "  Yea  !  a  warner  came  to  us  ;  but 


38  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

we  took  him  for  a  liar,  and  said,  '  God  hath 

not  sent  down  anything.     Verily,  ye  are  only 

in  great  error.'  " 
And  they  shall  say,  "Had  we  but  hearkened  or 

understood,  we  had  not  been  among  the  people 

of  the  flame  ! " 
And  they  will  confess  their  sins  :  so  a  curse  on  the 

people  of  the  flame  ! 
Verily  they  who  fear  their  Lord  in  secret,  for  them 

is  forgiveness — a  great  reward. 
And  whether  ye  hide  your  speech,  or  say  it  aloud, 

verily  He  knoweth    well  the   secrets   of  the 

breast  ! 
What !  shall  He  not  know,  who  created  ?  and  He 

is  the  subtle,  the  well-aware  ! 
It  is  He  who  hath  made  the  earth  smooth  for  you  : 

so  walk  on  its   sides,  and   eat   of  what    He 

hath  provided — and  unto  Him  shall  be  the 

resurrection. 
Are  ye  sure  that  He  who  is  in  the  Heaven  will  not 

make  the  earth  sink  with  you  ?  and  behold,  it 

shall  quake  ! 
Or  are  ye  sure  that  He  who  is  in  the  Heaven  will 

not  send  against  you  a  sand-storm, — so  shall 

ye  know  about  the  warning  ! 
And  assuredly  those  who  were  before  them  called 

it  a  lie,  and  how  was  it  with  their  denial  ? 


THE  KINGDOM.  39 

Or  do  they  not  look  up  at  the  birds  over  their 

heads,  flapping  their  wings  ?    None  supporteth 

them  but  the  Merciful :  verily  He  seeth  all. 
Who  is  it  that  will  be  a  host  for  you,  to  defend  you, 

if  not  the  Merciful  ?  verily  the  unbelievers  are 

in  naught  but  delusion  ! 
Who  is  it  that  will  provide  for  you,  if  He  withhold 

His  provision  ?     Nay,  they  persist  in  pride 

and  running  away  ! 
Is  he,  then,  who  goeth  grovelling  on  his  face  better 

guided  than  he  who  goeth  upright  on  a  straight 

path  ? 
Say :  it  is  He  who  produced  you  and  made  you 

hearing  and   sight   and  heart  —  little  are  ye 

thankful  ! 
Say :  it  is  He  who  sowed  you  in  the  earth,  and  to 

Him  shall  ye  be  gathered. 
But  they  say,  "  When  shall  this  threat  be,  if  ye  are 

speakers  of  truth  1 " 
Say  :  the  knowledge  thereof  is   with  God  alone, 

and  I  am  naught  but  a  plain  warner. 
But  when  they  shall  see  it  nigh,  the  countenance 

of  those  who  disbelieved  shall  be  evil, — and 

it   shall   be   said,    "  This   is   what   ye    called 

for." 
Say:  Have  ye  considered — whether  God  destroy 

me  and  those  with  me,  or  whether  we  win 


40  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

mercy — still  who  will   save   the   unbelievers 
from  aching  torment  ? 

Say  :  He  is  the  Merciful :  we  believe  in  Him,  and 
in  Him  we  put  our  trust — and  ye  shall  soon 
know  which  it  is  that  is  in  manifest  error  ! 

Say  :  Have  ye  considered  if  your  waters  should 
sink  away  to-morrow,  who  will  bring  you  run- 
ning water  ? 

(Ixvii.) 


THE  MOON.  41 


THE    MOON. 

In  the  Name  of  God,  the  Cofupassiojiate,  the  Mercifttl 

The   Hour  approacheth   and  the   moon   is   cleft 
asunder. 

But  if  they  see  a  sign  they  turn  aside,  and  say 
"  Useless  magic  !" 

And  they  call  it  a  lie,  and  follow  their  own  lusts  : — 
but  everything  is  ordained. 

Yet  there  came  to  them  messages  of  forbiddance — 

Wisdom  supreme — but  warners  serve  not  ! 

Then  turn  from  them  :  the  Day  when  the  Sum- 
moner  shall  summon  to  a  matter  of  trouble, 

With  eyes  cast  down  shall  they  come  forth  from 
their  graves,  as  if  they  were  scattered  locusts, 

Hurrying  headlong  to  the  summoner  :  the  unbe- 
lievers shall  say,  "  This  is  a  hard  day  ! " 

The  people  of  Noah,  before  them,  called  it  a  lie, 
and  they  called  our  servant  a  liar,  and  said, 
"  Mad  !"  and  he  was  rejected. 

Then  he  besought  his  Lord,  "Verily  I  am  over- 
powered :  defend  me." 

So  we  opened  the  gates  of  heaven  with  water 
pouring  forth, 


42  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

And  we  made  the  earth  break  out  in  springs,  and 
the  waters  met  by  an  order  foreordained  ; 

And  we  carried  him  on  a  vessel  of  planks  and  nails, 

Which  sailed  on  beneath  our  eyes  ; — a  reward  for 
him  who  had  been  disbelieved. 

And  we  left  it  as  a  sign  ;  but  doth  any  one  mind  ? 

And  what  tuas  viy  torine7it  and  warning? 

And  we  have  made  the  Koran  easy  for  remi7idmg ; 
but  doth  anyone  mind? 

Ad  called  it  a  lie ;  but  what  was  my  tormeiit  and 

warning? 
Lo,  we  sent  against  them  a  biting  wind  on  a  day 

of  settled  ill-luck. 
It  tore  men  away  as  though  they  were  trunks  of 

palm-trees  torn-up. 
But  what  was  my  tormejit  a?id  warning  ? 
A7id  we  have  made  the  Koran  easy  for  renii7iding  j 

but  doth  a7iy  one  7nind? 

Thamud  called  the  warning  a  lie  : 

And  they  said,  ''  A  single  mortal  from  among  our- 
selves shall  we  follow  ?  verily  then  we  should 
be  in  error  and  madness. 

Is  the  reminding  committed  to  him  alone  among 
us  ?     Nay,  he  is  an  insolent  liar." 

They  shall  know  to-morrow  about  the  insolent  liar! 


THE  MOON.  43 

Lo  !  we  will  send  the  she-camel  to  prove  them  :  so 

mark  them  well,  and  be  patient. 
And  predict  to  them  that  the  water  shall  be  divided 

between  themselves   and  her,  every  draught 

taken  in  turn. 
But  they  called  their  companion,  and  he  took  and 

hamstrung  her — 
A?id  what  was  my  torment  and  warning? 
Lo  !   we  sent  against  them  one  shout  ;   and  they 

became  like  the  dry  sticks  of  the  hurdle-maker. 
And  we  have  made  the  Koran  easy  for  reinindingj 

bid  doth  any  one  mind  ? 

The  people  of  Lot  called  the  warning  a  lie  ; — 

Lo  !  we  sent  a  sand-storm  against  them,  except 
the  family  of  Lot,  whom  we  delivered  at  day- 
break 

As  a  favour  from  us  ;  thus  do  we  reward  the 
thankful. 

And  he  had  warned  them  of  our  attack,  but  they 
misdoubted  the  warning ; 

And  they  sought  his  guests,  so  we  put  out  their 
eyes. 

'■^  So  taste  ye  my  torment  and  war7iing  f^'' 

And  in  the  morning  there  overtook  them  a  punish- 
ment abiding. 

"  So  taste  my  torment  and  iva^-ning.'^ 


44  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

A?id  we  have  made  the  Kord?i  easy  for  7'einmding ; 
but  doth  a?ty  one  vimd? 

And  there  came  a  warning  to  the  people  of  Pharaoh : 

They  called   our   signs  all  a  lie  :    so  we  gripped 

them  with  the  grip  of  omnipotent  might. 

Are  your  unbelievers  better  men  than  those  ?      Is 

there  immunity  for  you  in  the  Books  ? 
Do  they  say,  "  We  are  a  company  able  to  defend 

itself?" 
They  shall  all  be  routed,  and  turn  their  backs. 
Nay,  but  the    Hour  is  their  threatened  time,  and 

the  Hour  shall  be  most  grievous  and  bitter. 
Verily  the  sinners  are  in  error  and  madness  ! 
One  day  they  shall  be  dragged  into  the  fire  on 

their  faces  :   "  Taste  ye  the  touch  of  Hell P 

Verily  all  things  have  we  created  by  a  decree. 
And  our  command  is  but  one  moment,  like  the 

twinkling  of  an  eye. 
And  we  have  destroyed  the  like  of  you  : — but  doth 

any  one  mind? 
And  everything  that  they  do  is  in  the  Books  ; 
Everything,  little  and  great,  is  written  down. 
Verily  the  pious  shall  be  amid  gardens  and  rivers. 
In  the  seat  of  truth,  before  the  King  Omnipotent. 

(liv.) 


K.  45 

K. 

In  the  Name  of  God^  the  Compassionate^  the  Merciful. 

K.      By  the  glorious  Koran. 

Nay,  they  marvel  that  a  warner  from  among  them- 
selves hath  come  to  them  :  and  the  unbelievers 
say,  "  This  is  a  marvellous  thing  ! 

When  we  are  dead  and  are  become  dust ! — that 
is  a  far-fetched  return  ! " 

We  know  what  the  earth  consumeth  of  them,  and 
with  us  is  a  book  that  keepeth  count. 

Nay,  they  called  the  truth  a  lie  when  it  came  to 
them,  but  they  are  in  a  perplexed  state. 

Will  they  not  look  up  to  the  heaven  above  them, 
how  we  built  it,  and  beautified  it,  and  there 
are  no  flaws  therein  ? 

And  we  spread  out  the  earth,  and  cast  stable  moun- 
tains upon  it,  and  caused  to  grow  there 
plants  of  all  beauteous  kinds, 

For  consideration  and  warning  to  every  repentant 
servant. 

And  we  sent  down  water  from  heaven  as  a  blessing, 
and  caused  thereby  gardens  and  harvest  grain 
to  grow. 

And  tall  palm-trees  with  spathes  heaped  up. 


46  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

A  provision  for  our  servants  ;  and  revived  thereby 
a  barren  land.  Like  that  shall  the  resurrec- 
tion be. 

Before  them  the  people  of  Noah  and  the  people  of 
Er-Rass  and  Thamud  called  the  prophets  liars, 

And  Ad,  and  Pharaoh,  and  the  brethren  of  Lot, 
and  the  people  of  the  grove,  and  the  people 
of  Tubba' — one  and  all  called  the  apostles 
liars, — and  found  the  threat  true. 

Were  we  then  impotent  as  to  the  first  creation  .'* 
yet  they  are  in  doubt  about  a  new  creation. 

We  created  man,  and  we  know  what  his  soul  whis- 
pereth,  and  we  are  nearer  to  him  than  his 
jugular  vein. 

When  the  two  note-takers  take  note,  sitting  on  the 

right  hand  and  on  the  left, 
Not  a  word  doth  he  utter,  but  a  watcher  is  by  him 

ready. 
And  the  stupor  of  death  shall  come  in  truth; — 

"  this  is  what  thou  would'st  have  avoided." 
And  the  trumpet  shall  be  blown, — that  is  the  Day 

of  the  Threat ! 
And  every  soul  shall  come,  along  with  a  driver  and 

a  witness^ — 
"Thou   didst   not   heed   this  :    so  we  have  taken 

away  from  thee  thy  veil,  and  to-day  thy  sight 

is  keen." 


K.  47 

And  his  companion  shall  say,  "  This  is  what  I  am 

ready  to  witness." 
"  Cast  ye  into  Hell  every  unbelieving  rebel, 
Hinderer  of  the  good,  transgressor,  doubter. 
Who  setteth  up  other  gods  with  God  ;  cast  ye  him 

into  the  fierce  torment." 
His  companion  shall  say,  ''  O  our  Lord  I   I  misled 

him  not ;  but  he  was  in  fathomless  error." 
God  shall  say,    "  Wrangle   not   before   me,  for   I 

charged  you  before  about  the  threat. 
My  word  does  not  change,  and  I  am  not  unjust  to 

my  servants." 
On  that  day  will  we  say  to  Hell,  "Art  thou  full .?" 

and  it  shall  say,  "  Is  there  more  ?" 
And  Paradise  shall  be  brought  nigh  to  the  righteous, 

not  afar : — 
"  This  is  w'hat  ye  w^ere  promised,  unto  ever)-  one 

who  turneth  himself  to  God  and  keepeth  His 

laws, 
Who  feareth  the   Merciful  in  secret,  and  cometh 

with  a  contrite  heart ; 
Enter  it  in  peace  :" — that  is  the  Day  of  Eternity  ! 
They  shall    have  what    they  please    therein,   and 

increase  at  our  hands. 

And  how  many  generations  have  we  destroyed  be- 
fore them,  mightier  than  they  in  valour  !  then 
seek  through  the  land — is  there  any  refuge  ? 


48  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

Verily  in  that  is  a  warning  to   him  who  hath  a 

heart,  or  giveth  ear,  and  is  a  beholder. 
And  We  created  the  heavens,  and  the  earth,  and 

what  is  between  them,  in  six  days,   and  no 

weariness  touched  us. 
Then  be  patient  with  what  they  say,  magnify  thy 

Lord  with  praise  before  the  rising  of  the  sun 

and  its  setting. 
And  in  the  night  magnify  Him,  and  in  the  endings 

of  the  prayers. 
And  give  ear  to  the  day  when  the  crier  shall  cry 

from  a  near  place. 
The  day  when  they  shall  hear  the  shout  in  truth 

— that  is  the  day  of  resurrection  ! 
Verily  it  is  we  who  give  life  and  death,  and  to  us 

do  all  return. 
The  day  when  the  earth  shall  gape  asunder  over 

them  suddenly — that  is  the  gathering  easy  to 

us  ! 
We  know  well  what  they  say :   and  thou  art  not  a 

tyrant  over  them. 
But  warn  by  the  Koran  him  who  feareth  the  threat. 


(1.) 


Y.   S.  49 


Y.   S. 

In  the  Name  of  God,  the  Compassionate^  the  Mercijzil 

Y.  S.     By  the  wise  Koran  ! 

Verily  thou  art  of  the  Messengers 

Upon  the  straight  way. 

A  revelation  of  the  Mighty,  the  Merciful : — 

To  warn  a  people  whose  fathers  were  not  warned, 
and  themselves  are  heedless. 

Our  word  has  proved  true  against  the  most  of  them ; 
yet  they  will  not  believe  1 

Verily  we  have  put  shackles  on  their  necks,  reach- 
ing to  the  chin,  and  their  heads  are  tied  back  ; 

And  we  have  put  a  barrier  before  them  and  a  bar- 
rier behind  them,  and  we  have  covered  them 
so  that  they  see  not  ; 

And  it  is  all  one  to  them  whether  thou  warn  them 
or  warn  them  not :  they  will  not  believe. 

Thou  wilt  only  warn  to  good  purpose  him  who 
folio weth  the  monition  and  feareth  the  Merci- 
ful in  secret :  so  tell  him  good  tidings  of  for- 
giveness and  a  noble  reward. 
Verily  it  is  we  who  quicken  the  dead,  and  write 
down  the  deeds  they  have  sent  before  them 
and    the  vestiges  they  leave  behind   them; 

E 


50  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

and  everything  do  we  set  down  in  the  plain 
Exemplar. 

And  frame  for  them  a  parable — the  people  of  the 
town  [of  Antioch],  when  the  Apostles  came  to  it ; 

When  we  sent  unto  them  two,  and  they  called  them 
liars  ;  so  we  strengthened  them  with  a  third, 
and  they  said,  "  Verily  we  are  sent  unto  you," 

The  people  said,  "  Ye  are  only  men  like  us ;  and 
the  Merciful  hath  not  revealed  aught ;  in 
sooth  ye  are  only  lying." 

They  said,  "Our  Lord  knoweth  that  we  are  indeed 
sent  unto  you ; 

And  there  is  naught  laid  upon  us  but  to  announce 
a  plain  message." 

The  people  said,  "  Of  a  truth  we  have  drawn  an 
evil  augury  from  you  :  unless  ye  desist,  we 
will  surely  stone  you,  and  a  painful  punish- 
ment shall  surely  betide  you  from  us." 

They  said,  "  Your  evil  augury  is  with  yourselves  ! 
If  ye  be  warned  .'* — Nay  !  ye  are  an  ignorant 
people." 

And  there  came  from  the  furthest  part  of  the  city 
a  man  running :  he  said,  "  O  my  people  ! 
follow  the  Apostles, 

Follow  those  who  ask  you  not  for  recompense,  and 
who  are  guided  aright. 


Y.   S.  51 

And  what  is    in  me,  that   I   should    not  worship 

Him  who  made  me  and  to  whom  ye  must 

return  ? 
Shall  I  take  gods  beside  Him  ?     If  the  Merciful 

be  pleased  to  afflict  me,  their  intercession  will 

not  avail  me  aught,  nor  will  they  deliver  me  ; 
Verily  in  that  case  I  should  be  in  a  manifest  error. 
Verily  I  believe  in  your  Lord  :  therefore  hear  ye 

me." — 
It  was  said,  "  Enter  into  Paradise,"  and  he  said, 

"  Would  that  my  people  knew 
How  that  my  Lord  hath  forgiven  me  and  hath  made 

me  one  of  the  honoured  ! " 
And  afterwards  we  sent  not  down  upon  his  people 

armies  out  of  heaven  nor  what  we  were  wont 

to  send  down : 
It  was  but  one  shout,  and  lo,  they  were  extinct ! 

O  the  pity  of  men  !     No  apostle  cometh  to  them 

but  they  laugh  him  to  scorn. 
Do  they  not  consider  how  many  generations  we 

have  destroyed  before  them  ? 
Verily  they  shall  not  return  to  them, 
But  gathered  together  before  us  shall  they  all  be 

arraigned. 


And  a  sign  for  them  is  the  dead  earth  which  we 


52  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

quicken  and  bring  thereforth  grain,  and  they 
eat  of  it ; 

And  we  make  therein  gardens  of  pahn-trees  and 
vines,  and  cause  springs  to  gush  forth 
therein ; 

That  they  may  eat  of  its  fruits,  and  of  the  labour 
of  their  hands  :  and  will  they  not  be  thank- 
ful? 

Extolled  be  the  glory  of  Him  who  hath  created  all 
sorts  of  what  the  earth  beareth,  and  of  men's 
selves,  and  of  that  they  know  not  of ! 

And  a  sign  for  them  is  the  night.  We  draw  away 
the  day  from  it,  and  lo  !  they  are  in  dark- 
ness ; 

And  the  sun  hasteneth  to  her  resting-place. — This 
is  the  ordinance  of  the  Mighty,  the  Wise  ! — 

And  for  the  moon  we  have  decreed  his  mansions, 
till  he  is  wasted  to  the  likeness  of  a  withered 
palm-branch. 

It  is  not  meet  that  the  sun  should  overtake  the 
moon,  nor  the  night  outstrip  the  day ;  but 
each  doth  swim  in  its  sphere. 

And  it  is  a  sign  for  them  that  we  carr)^  their  off- 
spring in  the  burthened  ship  ; 

And  that  we  create  for  them  the  like  of  it  to  ride  on ; 

And  if  we  please,  we  drown  them,  and  there  is  no 
succour  for  them,  nor  are  they  delivered, 


Y.   S.  53 

Save  in  our  mercy,  and  for  a  transient  joy. 

And  when  it  is  said  to  them,  "  Fear  what  is  before 

you  and  what  is  behind  you ;  haply  ye  may 

obtain  mercy : " 
Thou  bringest  not  one  sign  of  the  signs  of  their 

Lord  but  they  turn  away  from  it ! 
And  when  it  is  said  to  them,  "  Give  ahns  of  what 

God  hath  bestowed  on  you,"  they  who  disbe- 

Heve  say  to  those  who  beheve,  "  Shall  we  feed 

him  whom  God  can  feed  if  He  pleases  ?  verily 

ye  are  only  in  manifest  error." 

And  they  say  "  "When  will  this  threat  come  to  pass, 

if  ye  be  speakers  of  truth  ?" 
They  await  but  a  single  blast ;  it  shall  smite  them 

whilst  they  are  wrangling. 
And  they  shall  not  be  able  to  make  their  wills,  and 

unto  their  families  they  shall  not  return. 
And  the  trumpet  shall  be  blown,  and  behold  they 

shall  hasten  out  of  the  graves  to  their  Lord : 
Saying,   "  Oh,  woe    is    us  !    who    hath  roused  us 

from  our  sleeping-place  ?     This   is  what  the 

Merciful  threatened  ;   and  the  apostles  spake 

truth." 
There  shall   be  but   one   blast,   and,   lo  !    all   are 

arraigned  before  us  ; 
And  on  that  day  no  soul  shall  be  wronged  at  all, 


54  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

nor  shall  ye  be  recompensed  save  for  what  ye 
have  wrought. 

Verily  on  that  day  the  people  of  Paradise  shall  be 

happy  in  their  pursuits, 
They  and  their  wives  reclining  on  couches  in  the 

shade  ; 
They  have  fruit  there  and  w  hatsoever  they  demand : 
"  Peace  "  is  their  greeting  from  a  merciful  Lord. 

"  Separate  ye  this  day,  O  ye  sinners  ! 

Did   I    not    charge    you,   O    sons    of  Adam,  not 

to  serve  the  Devil, — surely  he  is  your  open 

enemy, — ■ 
But  to  w^orship  Me  :  this  is  the  straight  way  ? 
Yet  he  led  away  a  great  multitude  of  you :  had  ye 

no  wits  ? 
This  is  Hell,  which  ye  were  threatened  with  : 
Roast  there  to-day,  because  ye  did  not  believe." 
On  that  day  will  we  set  a  seal  on  their  mouths,  but 

their  hands  shall  speak  to  us,  and  their  feet 

shall  bear  witness  of  what  they  have  earned 

for  themselves. 
And  if  we  pleased,  we  could  put  out  their  eyes, 

and  still  would   they  hasten    on    their  way  : 

but  how  would  they  see  ? 
And  if  we  pleased  we  could  transform  them  as  they 

stand  so  that  they  could  not  go  on  or  turn  back ; 


Y.   S.  55 

And  him  whom  we  make  old,  we  bow  down  his 
body  :  have  they  no  wits  ? 

We  have  not  taught  [Mohammad]  poetry,  nor 
would  it  befit  him.  It  is  only  a  warning  and 
a  plain  Koran, 

To  warn  whosoever  liveth  :  and  the  sentence  shall 
be  carried  out  upon  the  unbelievers. 

Do  they  not  see  that  we  have  created  for  them,  of 
what  our  hands  have  made,  the  cattle  which 
they  possess .'' 

And  we  have  subdued  them  unto  them,  and  some 
of  them  are  for  riding  and  of  some  they  eat, 

And  they  have  in  them  profit  and  milk  to  drink  : 
and  will  they  not  be  thankful  ? 

But  they  have  taken  other  gods  beside  God,  if 
haply  they  may  be  holpen  : 

They  are  not  able  to  help  them  ;  yet  they  them- 
selves are  an  army  arrayed  for  their  defence. 

But  let  not  their  speech  grieve  thee  :   verily,  we 

know  what  they  hide  and  what  they  show  ! 
Doth  not  man  see  that  we  created  him  from  a  germ  ? 

Yet,  behold  he  is  an  open  adversary. 
And  he  putteth  arguments  to  us,  and  forgetteth  his 

creation,  saying,  "Who  can  quicken  bones  that 

are  rotten  ? " 


56  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

Say :  He  who  first  made  them  to  be  shall  quicken 
them  :  for  all  creating  He  knoweth  well ; — 

Who  made  for  you  fire  from  a  green  tree,  and  be- 
hold, ye  kindle  with  it ; 

And  is  not  He  who  created  the  Heavens  and  the 
Earth  able  to  create  their  like  ?  Yea !  for 
He  is  the  wise  Creator. 

His  command,  when  he  willeth  a  thing,  is  only  to 
say  to  it  "  Be,"  and  it  is  ! 

Then  extolled  be  the  Perfection  of  Him  in  whose 
hand  is  the  empire  over  all,  and  to  whom 
ye  must  return. 

(xxxvi.) 


THE  CHILDREN  OF  ISRAEL.  57 

THE   CHILDREN   OF    ISRAEL. 

In  the  Name  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the  Merciful. 

Extolled  be  the  glory  of  Him  who  conveyed  his 
servant  by  night  from  the  Sacred  Mosque  to 
the  furthest  mosque,  whose  precincts  we  have 
blessed,  to  show  him  our  signs  !  Verily,  He 
it  is  who  heareth  and  seeth  ! 

And  we  gave  the  Book  of  the  Law  to  Moses  and 
made  it  a  guide  to  the  Children  of  Israel 
— "Take  ye  no  guardian  beside  Me, 

Seed  of  those  whom  we  bare  [in  the  ark]  with 
Noah  !     Verily  he  was  a  grateful  servant  ! " 

And  we  ordained  for  the  Children  of  Israel  in  the 
Book, — "  Ye  shall  surely  work  iniquity  in  the 
earth  twice,  and  ye  shall  be  puffed  up  with  a 
mighty  arrogance." 

So  when  the  threat  came  to  pass  for  the  first  of  the 
two  sins,  we  sent  upon  you  servants  of  ours 
armed  with  grievous  punishment ;  and  they 
went  among  your  houses,  and  the  threat  was 
carried  out. 

Then  in  turn  we  gave  you  victory  over  them,  and 
helped  you  with  riches  and  sons,  and  made 
you  a  very  numerous  host. 


58  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

If  ye  do  well,  ye  will  do  well  to  your  own  souls, 
and  if  ye  do  ill,  it  will  be  to  them  also.  And 
when  the  threat  came  to  pass  for  the  second 
sin, — [the  enemy  came]  to  afflict  you,  and  to 
enter  the  mosque  as  they  entered  it  the  first 
time,  and  to  utterly  destroy  what  they  had 
overpowered. 

Haply  your  Lord  will  have  mercy  on  you  !  and  if 
ye  turn,  we  will  turn  ;  but  we  have  made 
Hell  for  a  prison  for  the  unbelievers. 

Verily  this   Koran  guideth  to  the  right   way  and 

giveth  good  tidings  to  believers, 
Who  do  that  which  is   right,  that  for  them  is  a 

great  reward ; 
And  that  for  those  who  believe  not  in  the  life  to 

come,  we  have  made  ready  an  aching  torment. 

Man  prayeth  for  evil  as  he  prayeth  for  good  :  for 
man  ^vas  ever  hasty. 

We  have  made  the  night  and  the  day  for  two 
signs  :  then  we  blot  out  the  sign  of  the  night, 
and  make  the  sign  of  the  day  manifest,  that 
ye  may  seek  bounty  from  your  Lord,  and  may 
know  the  number  of  the  years  and  the  reckon- 
ing of  time  ;  and  we  have  defined  everything 
definitely. 


THE  CHILDREN  OF  ISRAEL.  59 

And  every  man's  fate  we  have  fastened  about  his 
neck.  And  we  will  bring  to  him  on  the  day 
of  Resurrection  a  book  which  shall  be  offered 
to  him  open  : — 

"  Read  thy  Book :  thou  thyself  art  accountant 
enough  against  thyself  this  day." 

He  who  is  guided,  for  his  own  good  only  shall  he 
be  guided,  and  he  who  erreth  but  to  his  own 
hurt ;  and  one  burthened  soul  shall  not  be 
burthened  with  another's  burthen. 

And  we  did  not  punish  until  we  had  sent  an 
apostle. 

And  when  we  resolved  to  destroy  a  city,  we  en- 
joined its  men  of  wealth,  but  they  disobeyed 
therein ;  so  the  sentence  proved  true,  and  we 
destroyed  it  utterly. 

How  many  generations  have  we  swept  away  since 
Noah  !  and  thy  Lord  knoweth  and  seeth 
enough  of  the  sins  of  His  servants. 


'&" 


Whoso  desireth  the  present  life,  we  will  present  him 
with  what  we  please  therein,  to  whom  we 
choose  :  finally,  we  will  make  Hell  for  him  to 
roast  in,  disgraced  and  banished  : 

But  whoso  desireth  the  life  to  come,  and  striveth 
after  it  strenuously,  and  he  a  believer, — the 
endeavour  of  these  shall  be  acceptable  : 


6o  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

To  all,  to  these  and  those,  will  we  extend  the  gifts 
of  thy  Lord  ;  and  the  gifts  of  thy  Lord  are 
not  limited. 

See  how  we  have  made  some  of  them  excellent 
above  others  !  but  the  life  to  come  is  greater 
in  degrees  and  greater  in  excellence. 

Set    no  other  god  with   God,  lest  thou  sit  down 

disgraced  and  defenceless. 
Thy  Lord  hath  ordained  that  ye  worship  none  but 
Him;  and  kindness  to  your  parents,  whether 
one  or  both  of  them  attain  old  age  with  thee  : 
then  say  not  to  them,  "Fie  !"  neither  reproach 
them  ;  but  speak  to  them  generous  words. 

And  droop  the  wing  of  humility  to  them  out  of 
compassion,  and  say,  "  Lord,  have  compassion 
on  them,  like  as  they  fostered  me  when  I  was 
little." 

(Your  Lord  knoweth  perfectly  what  is  in  your  souls, 
whether  ye  be  well-doers  ; 

And  verily  He  is  forgiving  to  the  repentant.) 

And  render  to  thy  kinsman  his  due,  and  to  the  poor 
and  to  the  son  of  the  road  (but  lavish  not 
wastefully ; 

Truly  the  wasteful  are  brothers  of  the  Devil,  and 
the  Devil  is  ungrateful  to  his  Lord  :) 

But  if  thou  turnest  away  from  them,  to  seek  the 


THE  CHILDREN  OF  ISRAEL.  6i 

mercy  which  thou  hopest  from  thy  Lord,  yet 
speak  to  them  gentle  words. 

And  let  not  thy  hand  be  chained  to  thy  neck  ;  nor 
yet  stretch  it  forth  right  open,  or  thou  wilt  sit 
down  in  reproach  and  destitution. 

Verily  thy  Lord  will  be  openhanded  with  provision 
for  whom  He  pleaseth,  or  He  will  be  sparing  ; 
He  knoweth  and  seeth  His  servants. 

And  slay  not  your  children  for  fear  of  want :  we 
will  provide  for  them.  Beware  !  verily  killing 
them  is  a  great  sin. 

And  draw  not  near  to  inchastity  ;  verily  it  is  a  foul 
thing,  and  evil  is  the  course. 

And  slay  not  the  soul  whom  God  hath  forbidden 
you  to  slay,  unless  for  a  just  cause  :  and  who- 
soever shall  be  slain  wrongfully,  we  give  his 
heir  the  right  [of  retaliation]  ;  but  let  him  not 
exceed  in  slaying ;  verily  he  is  protected. 

And  approach  not  the  substance  of  the  orphan, 
except  to  make  it  better,  till  he  cometh 
to  maturity :  and  observe  your  covenants  ; 
verily  covenants  shall  be  inquired  of  here- 
after. 
And  give  full  measure  when  ye  measure,  weigh 
with  an  even  balance  ;  that  is  best  and  fairest 
in  the  end. 
And  follow  not  that  of  which  thou  hast  no  know- 


62  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

ledge  :  verily  the  hearing,  and  the  sight,  and 

the  heart, — all  of  them  shall  be  inquired  of. 
And  walk  not  proudly  on  the  earth  :   verily  thou 

shalt  never  cleave  the  earth,  nor  reach  to  the 

mountains  in  height  ! 
All  that  is  evil  in  thy  Lord's  eye,  an  abomination. 

That  is  part  of  the  wisdom  which  thy  Lord  hath 
revealed  to  thee.  And  make  no  other  god 
beside  God,  or  thou  wilt  be  thrown  into  Hell 
in  reproach  and  banishment. 

Hath  then  the  Lord  assigned  to  you  sons,  and  shall 
He  take  for  himself  daughters  from  among  the 
angels  ?  verily  ye  do  say  a  tremendous  saying ! 

And  we  made  variations  in  this  Koran  to  warn 
them  ;  yet  it  only  increaseth  their  repulsion. 

Say  :  If  there  were  other  gods  with  Him,  as  ye  say, 
they  would  then  seek  occasion  against  the 
Lord  of  the  throne. 

Extolled  be  His  glory,  and  be  He  greatly  exalted 
far  above  what  they  say  ! 

The  seven  heavens,  and  the  earth,  and  all  that  is 
therein,  magnify  Him,  and  there  is  naught  but 
magnifieth  His  praise  ;  only  ye  understand 
not  their  worship.  Verily  He  is  forbearing, 
forgiving. 

When  thou  declaimest  the  Koriin,  we  put  between 


THE  CHILDREN  OF  ISRAEL.  63 

thee  and  those  who  believe  not  in  the  Hfe  to 
come  a  close  veil ; 

And  we  put  coverings  over  their  hearts,  lest  they 
should  understand  it,  and  deafness  in  their 
ears. 

And  when  thou  tellest  of  thy  Lord  in  the  Koran  as 
One,  they  turn  their  backs  in  repulsion. 

We  know  well  what  they  listen  for,  when  they  listen 
to  thee,  and  when  they  whisper  apart,  when 
the  wicked  say,  "  Ye  do  but  follow  a  man  en- 
chanted." 

See  what  comparisons  they  make  for  thee  !  but 
they  wander  and  cannot  find  the  way. 

They  say,  "What!  when  we  have  become  bones 
and  dust,  shall  we  forsooth  be  raised  as  a  new 
creature  1 " 

Say:  Yes!  were  ye  stones,  or  iron,  or  any  crea- 
ture, the  hardest  [to  raise  again]  that  your 
minds  can  imagine.  But  they  will  say,  "  Who 
shall  restore  us.?"  Say:  He  who  began  you 
in  the  beginning  !  And  they  will  wag  their 
heads  at  thee  and  say,  "When  shall  this  be  .''" 
Say :  Maybe  it  is  nigh  at  hand. — 

A  day  when  God  shall  summon  you  and  ye  shall 
answer  with  His  praise  ;  and  ye  shall  think 
that  ye  have  tarried  but  a  little  while. 


64  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

And  say  to  my  servants  that  they  speak  pleasantly : 
verily  the  Devil  provoketh  strife  among  them  ; 
verily  the  Devil  is  man's  open  enemy. 

Your  Lord  knoweth  you  well ;  if  He  please  He  will 
have  mercy  on  you  ;  or  if  He  please  He  will 
torment  you ;  and  we  have  not  sent  thee  to 
be  our  governor  over  them  ! 

Thy  Lord  knoweth  well  who  is  in  the  heavens  and 
in  the  earth.  And  we  distinguished  some 
of  the  prophets  above  others,  and  we  gave  to 
David  the  Psalms. 

Say  :  Call  ye  upon  those  whom  ye  profess  beside 
Him  ;  but  they  will  have  no  power  to  put 
away  trouble  from  you  or  alter  it. 

Those  whom  they  invoke  do  themselves  strive  for 
access  to  their  Lord,  which  of  them  shall  be 
nearest :  and  they  hope  for  His  mercy  and  fear 
His  torment :  verily  the  torment  of  thy  Lord 
is  to  be  dreaded. 

There  is  no  city  but  we  will  destroy  it  before 
the  Day  of  Resurrection,  or  torment  it  with 
grievous  torment.  That  is  written  in  the 
Book. 

Nothing  hindered  our  sending  thee  with  signs  but 
that  the  people  of  yore  called  them  lies.  We 
gave  Thamiid  the  she-camel  before  their  very 


THE  CHILDREN  OF  ISRAEL.  65 

eyes,  but  they  maltreated  her  ;  and  we  send 
not  [a  prophet]  with  signs  except  to  terrify. 

And  when  we  said  to  thee,  "  Verily  thy  Lord  en- 
compasseth  mankind;" — and  we  made  the 
vision  which  we  showed  thee,  and  the  accursed 
tree  in  the  Koran,  only  to  prove  men  ;  and 
we  will  terrify  them  ;  but  it  shall  only  add  to 
their  great  disobedience. 

And  when  we  said  to  the  angels,  "Bow  down  to 
Adam  :"  and  they  all  bowed  down  save  Iblls: 
who  said,  "  What !  shall  I  bow  down  to  him 
whom  thou  hast  created  of  clay  ? " 

And  said,  "  Dost  thou  consider  this  one  whom  thou 
hast  honoured  above  me  ?  Verily,  if  thou 
didst  spare  me  till  the  day  of  Resurrection,  I 
would  utterly  destroy  his  offspring,  all  but  a 
few!" 

God  said,  "  Begone  ;  but  whosoever  of  them  follow- 
eth  thee,  verily,  Hell  is  to  be  your  reward — 
reward  enough  ! 

And  tempt  whom  thou  canst  of  them  by  thy  voice  ; 
and  assail  them  with  thy  horsemen  and  thy 
footmen,  and  share  with  them  in  their  riches 
and  their  children,  and  make  them  promises. 
(But  the  Devil's  promises  are  deceitful.) 

Verily  thou  hast  no  power  over  my  servants  :  and 
thy  Lord  sufficeth  for  a  defender." 

F 


66  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

It  is  your  Lord  who  driveth  your  ships  on  the  sea, 
that  ye  may  seek  of  His  abundance,  verily  He 
is  merciful  to  you. 

And  when  a  harm  befalleth  you  at  sea,  they  whom 
ye  call  on  beside  Him  are  missing  !  Then 
when  He  bringeth  you  safe  to  land,  ye  stand 
aloof:  for  man  was  ever  thankless. 

Are  ye  sure  that  He  will  not  swallow  you  up  on  the 
shore,  or  send  a  sandstorm  against  you  ?  then 
ye  would  not  find  for  you  any  defender. 

Or  are  ye  sure  that  He  will  not  turn  you  back 
again  to  sea,  and  send  against  you  a  storm  of 
wind  and  drown  you,  because  ye  were  thank- 
less ?  Then  shall  ye  find  for  yourselves  no 
helper  against  us. 

And  we  have  honoured  the  sons  of  Adam  ;  and  we 
have  borne  them  on  the  land  and  on  the  sea, 
and  have  fed  them  with  good  things,  and  dis- 
tinguished them  above  many  of  our  creatures. 

On  a  day  we  will  summon  all  men  \\ith  their 
scripture  :  then  whoso  is  given  his  book  into 
his  right  hand, — these  shall  read  their  book 
and  not  be  wronged  a  whit. 

And  he  who  has  been  blind  in  this  life  shall  be 
blind  in  the  life  to  come,  and  miss  the  road 
yet  more. 


THE  CHILDREN  OF  ISRAEL.  6y 

And  verily  they  had  well-nigh  tempted  thee  from 
what  we  revealed  to  thee,  to  forge  against  us 
something  false  ;  and  then  they  would  have 
taken  thee  to  friend  ; 

And  had  we  not  prevented  thee,  thou  hadst  well- 
nigh  indined  to  them  a  little  : 

In  that  case  we  would  have  made  thee  to  taste  of 
torment  double  in  life  and  double  in  death, 
then  should'st  thou  find  for  thyself  no  helper 
against  us. 

And  they  well-nigh  frightened  thee  from  the  land, 
to  drive  thee  out  of  it  ;  but  if  they  had,  they 
should  only  have  tarried  a  little  while  behind 
thee. 

[This  was  our]  custom  with  our  apostles  whom  we 
sent  before  thee,  and  thou  shalt  find  no 
changing  in  our  custom. 

Perform  prayer  from  the  setting  of  the  sun  till  the 

fall  of  night,  and  the  recital  at  dawn, — verily 

the  recital  at  dawn  is  witnessed  : 
And  watch  thou  part  of  the  night  as  a  voluntary 

service  ;   it  may  be  that  thy  Lord  will  raise 

thee  to  a  place  of  praise  : 
And  say  :  O  my  Lord,  cause  me  to  enter  with  a 

right  entry,  and  to  come  forth  with  a  right 

forthcoming,   and    grant   me   from   thyself  a 

power  of  defence. 


68  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

And  say :    Truth  is  come  and    falsehood   is   fled 
away  :  verily  falsehood  is  a  fleeting  thing. 

And  we  send  down  from  the  Koran  healing  and 

mercy  to  the  faithful  ;  but  it  shall  only  add  to 

the  ruin  of  the  wicked. 
And  when  we  are  gracious  to  man,  he  turneth  away 

and  standeth  aloof ;  but  when  evil  touches  him 
•  he  is  in'  despair. 
Say  :  Every  one  doeth  after  his  own  fashion,  but 

your   Lord    knoweth    perfectly   who    is    best 

guided  on  the  road. 
And  they  will  ask  thee  of  the  Spirit ;   Say  :  The 

Spirit  cometh  at  my  Lord's  behest,  and  ye 

are  given  but  scant  knowledge. 
And  assuredly,  if  we  pleased  we  could  take  away 

what  we  have  revealed  to  thee  :  then  wouldst 

thou  not  find  for  thyself  a  defender  against  us, 
Save  in  mercy  from  thy  Lord  ;  verily  His  bounty 

towards  thee  is  great. 
Say  :    Surely  if  mankind  and  the  Jinn  united  in 

order  to  produce  the  like  of  this  Koran,  they 

could  not  produce  its  like,  though  they  helped 

one  another. 
We  have  varied  every  kind  of  parable  for  men  in 

this   Koran,  but  most   men  consent   only  to 

discredit  it. 


THE  CHILDREN  OF  ISRAEL.  69 

And  they  say,  "  We  will  by  no  means  believe  in 
thee  till  thou  makest  a  spring  to  gush  forth 
for  us  from  the  earth  ; 

Or  till  there  cometh  to  thee  a  garden  of  palm-trees 
and  grapes,  and  thou  makest  rivers  to  gush 
forth  abundantly  in  its  midst  ; 

Or  thou  make  the  heaven  to  fall  down  in  pieces 
upon  us,  as  thou  pretendest ;  or  bring  God 
and  the  angels  before  us  ; 

Or  thou  have  a  house  of  gold  ;  or  thou  ascend  up 
into  Heaven  ;  and  we  will  not  believe  in  thy 
ascent  until  thou  send  down  to  us  a  book 
which  we  may  read."  Say  :  Extolled  be  the 
glory  of  my  Lord  !  Am  I  aught  save  a  man, 
a  messenger  ? 

And  nothing  prevented  men  from  believing,  when 
the  guidance  came  to  them,  but  their  saying, 
"Hath  God  sent  a  mere  man  as  a  messenger? " 

Say :  Had  there  been  angels  upon  the  earth 
walking  at  ease,  we  had  surely  sent  them  an 
angel  from  heaven  as  an  apostle. 

Say :  God  is  witness  enough  between  me  and  you : 
verily  He  knoweth  and  seeth  His  servants. 

And  whom  God  guideth,  he  is  guided,  and  whom 
He  misleadeth,  thou  shalt  find  him  no  pro- 
tectors beside  Him  ;  and  we  will  gather  them 
on  the  day  of  Resurrection  upon  their  faces. 


JO  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

blind,  and  dumb,  and  deaf,  hell  is  their  abode  ; 
so  oft  as  its  fire  dieth  down,  we  will  stir  up  the 
flame. 

This  is  their  reward,  for  that  they  believed  not  our 
signs,  and  said,  "  When  we  are  become  bones 
and  dust,  shall  we  indeed  be  raised  a  new 
creature  ?" 

Do  they  not  see  that  God,  who  created  the  heavens 
and  the  earth  is  able  to  create  their  likes  ? 
and  He  hath  made  an  appointed  term  for 
them  :  there  is  no  doubt  of  it ;  but  the  wicked 
consent  only  to  deny  it ! 

Say  :  If  ye  possessed  the  treasures  of  the  mercy 
of  thy  Lord,  ye  would  then  assuredly  keep 
them,  in  fear  of  spending  :  for  man  is  nig- 
gardly. 

Heretofore  We  brought  to  Moses  nine  evident 
signs  :  Ask  then  the  Children  of  Israel  [the 
story] — when  he  came  unto  them,  and  Pharaoh 
said  unto  him,  "  Verily  I  consider  thee  to  be 
bewitched,  O  Moses." 

He  said,  "  Thou  knowest  that  none  hath  sent  these 
down  as  proofs  but  the  Lord  of  the  heavens 
and  the  earth  ;  and  verily  I  consider  thee,  O 
Pharaoh,  accursed." 

So  he  sought  to  drive  them  out  of  the  land  ;  but 


THE  CHILDREN  OF  ISRAEL.  71 

we  drowned  him  and  those  with  him,  every 
one. 

And  after  this  we  said  to  the  Children  of  Israel, 
"  Dwell  ye  in  the  land,  and  when  the  promise 
of  the  life  to  come  befalleth,  we  will  bring  you 
in  a  troop  to  judgment." 

And  in  truth  have  we  sent  down  [the  Koran],  and 
in  truth  came  it  down,  and  we  have  sent  thee 
only  to  give  good  tidings  and  to  warn. 

And  the  Koran  have  we  divided  that  thou  mayest 
recite  it  unto  men  by  degrees  ;  and  we  have 
sent  it  down  by  [separate]  sendings. 

Say  :  Believe  ye  therein  or  believe  ye  not ; — those 
verily  to  whom  knowledge  hath  been  given 
before,  when  it  is  told  to  them,  fall  down  on 
their  faces  in  adoration,  and  say,  "  Extolled 
be  the  glory  of  our  Lord  !  verily  the  promise 
of  our  Lord  is  accompHshed." 

And  they  fall  down  upon  their  faces  weeping,  and 
it  increaseth  their  humility. 

Say  :  Call  upon  God,  or  call  upon  the  Merciful, 
whichever  ye  call  Him  by  ;  for  His  are  the 
goodliest  names.  And  be  not  loud  in  thy 
prayer,  nor  yet  mutter  it  low  ;  but  follow  a 
course  between. 


72  MEKKA  SPEECHES. 

And  Say :  Praise  be  to  God  who  hath  not  taken 
a  son,  and  who  hath  no  partner  in  the  King- 
dom, and  no  protector  hath  He  for  abase- 
ment ;  and  glorify  Him  gloriously. 

(xvii.) 


THE    SPEECHES  AT   MEKKA 

III.   THE  ARGUMENTATIVE   PERIOD 
Aet.  46-53 

A.D.   615-622 


THE   BELIEVER. 
/;/  the  Name  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the-  Merciful 

H.  M,  The  revelation  of  the  Book  is  from  God 
the  Mighty,  the  Wise, 

Forgiver  of  sin,  and  accepter  of  repentance, — heavy 
in  punishment, 

Long-suffering :  there  is  no  God  but  He,  to  whom 
is  your  journeying. 

None  dispute  about  the  signs  of  God  save  those 
who  disbeheve  ;  but  let  not  their  trafficking 
in  the  land  deceive  thee. 

Before  them  the  people  of  Noah,  and  the  allies 
after  them,  denied,  and  every  folk  hath  pur- 
posed against  its  apostle  to  overmaster  him, 
and  they  argued  with  falsehood  to  rebut  the 
truth  therewith  ;  but  I  did  overmaster  them 
and  how  great  was  my  punishment ! 

And  thus  was  the  sentence  of  thy  Lord  accomplished 
upon  those  who  disbelieved,  that  they  should 
be  inmates  of  the  Fire  ! 

They  that  bear  the  Throne  and  they  that  are  round 
about  it  magnify  the  praise  of  their  Lord  and 
believe  in  Him  and  beg  forgiveness  for  those 


76  MEKKA   SPEECHES. 

who  believe  : — "  O  our  Lord  !  thou  embracest 
all  things  in  mercy  and  knowledge,  give  par- 
don to  those  who  repent  and  follow  thy  path, 
and  keep  them  from  the  torment  of  hell, 

O  our  Lord,  and  bring  them  into  the  gardens  of 
eternity  which  thou  hast  promised  to  them 
and  to  the  just  among  their  fathers  and  their 
wives  and  their  offspring ;  verily  thou  art  the 
Mighty,  the  Wise  ; 

And  keep  them  from  evil  ;  for  he  whom  thou 
keepest  from  evil  on  that  day,  on  him  hast 
thou  had  mercy — and  that  is  the  great  prize  !" 

Verily  to  those  who  disbelieve  shall  come  a  voice, 
"  Surely  the  hatred  of  God  is  greater  than 
your  hatred  among  yourselves,  when  ye  are 
called  to  the  faith,  and  disbelieve." 

They  shall  say,  <'  O  our  Lord,  twice  hast  thou  given 
us  death,  and  twice  hast  thou  given  us  life  : 
and  we  acknowledge  our  sins  :  is  there  then 
.   a  way  to  escape  ? " — 

"  That  hath  befallen  you  because  when  one  God  was 
proclaimed,  ye  disbelieved  :  but  when  Part- 
ners were  ascribed  to  Him,  ye  believed :  but 
judgment  belongeth  unto  God,  the  High,  the 
Great." 

It  is  He  who  showeth  you  His  signs,  and  sendeth 


THE    BELIEVER.  77 

down  to  you  provision  from  heaven  :  but  none 
mindeth  except  the  repentant. 

Then  call  on  God  with  due  obedience,  though  loth 

be  the  infidels ; 
Of  high  degree,  Lord  of  the  throne  ;   He  sendeth 

down  the  Spirit  at  His  will  upon  whom  He 

pleaseth  of  His  servants  to  warn  men  of  the 

day  of  the  Tryst  : — ■ 
The  day  when  they  shall  come  forth,  and  when 

nothing  of  theirs  shall  be  hidden  from  God. 

Whose  is  the  kingship  on  that  day  ?     It  is 

God's,  the  One,  the  Conqueror  ! 
The  day  every  soul  shall  be  rewarded  for  what  it 

hath  earned  :  no  injustice  shall  there  be  on 

that  day  !     Verily  God  is  swift  to  reckon. 
And  warn  them  of  the  approaching  Day,  when  their 

hearts  shall  choke  in  their  throats. 
When  the  wicked  have  no  friend  nor  intercessor  to 

prevail. 
He   knoweth   the  deceitful  of  eye,  and  what  the 

breast  concealeth. 
And  God  judgeth  with  truth  ;  but  those  gods  whom 

they  call  on  beside  Him  cannot  judge  aught. 

Verily  it  is  God  that  heareth  and  seeth  ! 

Have  they  not  journeyed  in  the  earth,  and  seen 


78  MEKKA   SPEECHES. 

what  was  the  end  of  those  who  were  before 
them  ?  Those  were  mightier  than  they  in 
strength,  and  in  their  footprints  on  the  earth  : 
but  God  overtook  them  in  their  sins,  and  there 
was  none  to  keep  them  from  God. 
That  was  because  apostles  had  come  to  them 
with  manifestations,  and  they  beheved  not : 
but  God  overtook  them  ;  verily  He  is  strong 
and  heavy  in  punishment. 

We  sent  Moses  of  old  with  our  signs  and  with  plain 

authority, 
To   Pharaoh,  and   Haman,  and   Korah  :   and  they 

said,  "A  lying  wizard." 
And  when  he  came  to  them  with  truth  from  us  they 

said,  "  Slay  the  sons  of  those  who  believe  with 

them,  and  spare  their  women  ;"  but  the  plot 

of  the  unbelievers  was  at  fault : 
And  Pharaoh  said,  "  Let  me  alone  to  kill  Moses  ; 

and  let  him  call  upon  his  Lord  :  verily  I  fear 

lest  he  change  your  religion,  or  cause  iniquity 

in  the  earth." 
And  Moses  said,  "  Verily  I   take  refuge  with  my 

Lord  and  your  Lord  from  every  one  puffed  up 

who  believeth  not  in  the  day  of  reckoning." 
And  there  spake  a  man  of  the  family  of  Pharaoh, 

a  Believer,  who  concealed  his  faith,  "  Will 


THE    BELIEVER.  79 

ye  kill  a  man  because  he  saith  my  Lord  is 
God,  when  he  hath  come  unto  you  with  mani- 
festations from  your  Lord  ?  for  if  he  be  a  liar, 
upon  him  alone  is  his  lie,  but  if  he  be  a  man 
of  truth,  somewhat  of  that  which  he  threaten- 
eth  will  befall  you.  Verily  God  guideth  not 
him  who  is  an  outrageous  liar. 

O  my  people,  to-day  is  the  kingdom  yours  who  are 
uppermost  in  the  earth  !  but  who  will  defend 
us  against  the  might  of  God  if  it  come  upon 
us  ?"  Pharaoh  said,  "  I  will  only  show  you 
what  I  think,  and  I  will  not  guide  you  save  in 
a  right  way." 

Then  said  he  who  believed,  "  O  my  people,  verily 
I  fear  for  you  the  like  of  the  day  of  the  allies. 

The  like  of  the  state  of  the  people  of  Noah,  and 
Ad,  and  Thamiid, 

And  of  those  who  came  after  them  ;  and  God 
willeth  not  injustice  to  His  servants. 

And,  O  my  people  !  verily  I  fear  for  you  the  day 
of  crying  out : 

The  day  when  ye  shall  turn  your  backs  in  flight, 
ye  shall  have  no  protector  against  God  ;  and 
he  whom  God  misleads,  no  guide  has  he. 

Moreover,  Joseph  came  unto  you  before  with 
manifestations  ;  but  ye  ceased  not  to  doubt 
about  [the    message]  he   brought   you,   until 


So  MEKKA    SPEECHES. 

when  he  died  ye  said,  '  God  will  by  no  means 
send  an  apostle  after  him.'  Thus  God  mis- 
leadeth  him  who  is  an  outrageous  doubter. 

They  who  dispute  about  the  signs  of  God,  and  no 
proof  coming  to  them,  are  very  hateful  to  God 
and  to  those  who  believe.  Thus  God  sealeth 
the  heart  of  all  who  are  puffed  up  and 
arrogant." 

And  Pharaoh  said,  "  O  Haman,  build  me  a  tower, 
mayhap  I  shall  reach  the  avenues. 

The  avenues  of  the  heavens,  and  may  ascend  to 
the  God  of  Moses  :  but  verily  I  hold  him  a 
liar." 

And  thus  the  wickedness  of  his  deed  seemed  good 
to  Pharaoh,  and  he  was  turned  away  from  the 
right  path ;  but  the  plot  of  Pharaoh  only 
came  to  ruin. 

And  he  who  believed  said,  "  O  my  people,  follow 
me  :   I  will  guide  you  the  right  way. 

O  my  people,  the  life  of  this  world  is  but  a  passing 
joy  ;  but  the  life  to  come,  that  is  the  abode 
imperishable. 

Whosoever  doeth  evil  shall  not  be  rewarded  save 
with  its  like  ;  and  whosoever  doeth  right, 
whether  male  or  female,  being  a  believer — 
these  shall  enter  paradise  ;  and  be  provided 
therein  without  count. 


THE    BELIEVER.  8i 

And  O  my  people  !  how  is  it  that  I  bid  you  to  sal- 
vation, but  that  ye  bid  me  to  the  Fire  ? 

Ye  call  me  to  disbelieve  in  God  and  join  to  Him 
that  of  which  I  have  no  knowledge  :  and  I 
call  you  to  the  Mighty,  the  Very  Forgiving. 

There  is  no  doubt  but  that  those  ye  call  me  to  are 
not  to  be  called  on  in  this  world  or  in  the 
world  to  come,  and  that  we  shall  return  unto 
God,  and  the  transgressors  shall  be  inmates 
of  the  Fire. 

Then  shall  ye  call  to  mind  what  I  said  to  you  :  and 
I  commit  my  case  to  God :  verily  God  regard- 
eth  His  servants." 

So  God  kept  him  from  the  evil  which  they  devised, 
and  there  encompassed  the  people  of  Pharaoh 
the  woeful  torment — 

The  Fire,  to  which  they  shall  be  exposed  morning 
and  evening  ;  and  on  the  day  when  the  Hour 
cometh — "  Enter,  ye  people  of  Pharaoh,  into 
the  sorest  torment." 

And  when  they  shall  wrangle  together  in  the  fire, 
the  feeble  shall  say  to  those  who  were  puffed 
up,  "  Verily  we  followed  you  :  will  ye  then 
remove  from  us  aught  of  the  Fire  ? " 

And  those  who  were  puffed  up  will  say,  "  Verily 
we  are  all  in  it.  Behold  !  God  hath  judged 
between  His  servants." 

G 


82  MEKKA   SPEECHES. 

And  they  who  are  in  the  Fire  shall  say  to  the 
keepers  of  Hell,  "  Call  on  your  Lord,  that  He 
remit  us  one  day  from  the  torment." 

The  keepers  shall  say,  "  Did  there  not  come  to  you 
your  apostles  with  manifestations?"  They 
shall  say,  "Yea."  The  keepers  shall  say, 
"  Call  then,"  but  the  cry  of  the  unbelievers 
shall  be  vain. 

Verily  we  will  help  our  apostles  and  those  who 
believe,  both  in  the  life  of  this  world  and  on 
the  day  when  the  witness  shall  stand  forth  ; — 

A  day  whereon  the  excuse  of  the  wicked  shall  not 
profit  them  ;  but  they  shall  have  the  curse 
and  the  abode  of  woe. 

And  of  old  gave  we  Moses  the  guidance,  and  the 
Children  of  Israel  made  we  heirs  of  the  Book, 
— a  guidance  and  a  warning  to  those  who 
have  understanding. 

Be  patient,  therefore  ;  verily  the  promise  of  God  is 
true ;  and  seek  pardon  for  thy  sins,  and  magnify 
the  praises  of  thy  Lord  at  eve  and  early  morn. 

Verily  those  who  dispute  about  the  signs  of  God, 
without  proof  reaching  them,  there  is  naught 
in  their  breasts  but  pride  :  and  they  shall  not 
win.  But  seek  refuge  with  God  ;  verily.  He 
heareth  and  seeth. 


THE    BELIEVER.  83 

Surely  the  creation  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth  is 
greater  than  the  creation  of  man.  But  most 
men  do  not  know. 

Moreover  the  bhnd  and  the  seeing  are  not  equal, 
nor  the  sinner  and  they  who  believe  and  do 
the  things  that  are  right ; — little  do  they  mind ! 

Verily  the  Hour  is  assuredly  coming  :  there  is  no 
doubt  of  it ; — but  most  men  do  not  believe. 

And  your  Lord  saith,  "  Call  upon  me ; — I  will 
hearken  unto  you  :  but  as  to  those  who  are 
too  puffed  up  for  my  service,  they  shall  enter 
Hell  in  contempt." 

It  is  God  who  made  you  the  night  to  rest  in,  and 

the  day  for  seeing  :  verily  God  is  bounteous 

to  man,  but  most  men  are  not  thankful. 

That  is  God  your  Lord,  Creator  of  all  things  :  there 

is  no  god  but  He  :  then  why  do  ye  turn  away  ? 

Thus  do  they  turn  away  who  gainsay  the  signs  of 

God- 
God,  who  made  you  the  earth  for  a  resting-place 
and  the  heaven  for  a  tent,  and  formed  you  and 
made  goodly  your   forms  and  provided  you 
with  good  things — that  is  God,  your  Lord. 
Then  blessed  be  God,  the  Lord  of  the  worlds  ! 
He  is  the  Living  One.      No  god  is  there  but  He  ! 
then  call  upon  Him,  purifying  your  service  to 


84  MEKKA    SPEECHES. 

Him.  Praise  be  to  God,  the  Lord  of  the 
worlds  ! 

Say  :  Verily  I  am  forbidden  to  serve  those  whom 
ye  call  on  beside  God,  since  there  came  to 
me  manifestations  from  my  Lord,  and  I  am 
bidden  to  resign  myself  to  the  Lord  of  the 
worlds. 

He  it  is  who  created  you  of  dust,  then  of  a  germ, 
then  of  blood;  then  bringeth  you  forth  a  babe : 
then  ye  come  to  your  strength,  then  ye  become 
old  men  (but  some  of  you  die  before)  and  reach 
the  appointed  term  :  haply  ye  will  understand! 

It  is  He  who  giveth  life  and  death  ;  and  when  He 
decreeth  a  thing,  He  only  saith  to  it,  "  Be," 
and  it  is. 

Hast  thou  not  beheld  those  who  cavil  at  the  signs 
of  God,  how  they  are  turned  aside  ? 

They  who  call  the  Book,  and  that  with  which  we 
have  sent  our  apostles,  a  lie  :  they  shall  soon 
know  ! 

When  the  shackles  shall  be  on  their  necks,  and  the 
chains,  whilst  they  are  dragged  into  Hell — 
then  in  the  fire  shall  they  be  burned — 

Then  shall  it  be  said  to  them,  "  Where  is  that 
which  ye  joined  in  worship  beside  God.'"' 
They  shall  say,  "  They  are  lost  to  us.      Nay  ! 


THE    BELIEVER.  85 

we  did  not  call  before  upon  anything."     Thus 

God  misleadeth  the  unbelievers. 
"  That  is  because  ye  exulted  on  earth  in  what  was 

not  true,  and  because  ye  were  insolent. 
Enter  the  gates  of  Hell  to  abide  therein  for  ever  : 

and  wretched  is  the  abode  of  the  proud  ! 

But  be  thou  patient :  verily  the  promise  of  God  is 
true  :  and  whether  we  show  thee  part  of  what 
we  threatened  them,  or  whether  we  make  thee 
to  die  ;  yet  to  us  shall  they  return. 

We  have  sent  apostles  before  thee.  Of  some  we 
have  told  thee  and  of  some  we  have  not  told 
thee  :  but  no  apostle  was  able  to  bring  a  sign 
unless  by  the  permission  of  God.  But  when 
God's  behest  cometh,  everything  is  decided 
with  truth  :  and  those  perish  who  think  it 
vain. 

It  is  God  who  hath  made  for  you  the  cattle,  some 

to  ride  and  some  to  eat, 
(And  ye  have  profit  from  them)  and  to  attain  by 

them  the  aims  of  your  hearts,  for  on  them  and 

in  ships  are  ye  borne  : 
And  He  showeth  you  His  signs  :  which  then  of  the 

signs  of  God  will  ye  deny  ? 


86  MEKKA    SPEECHES. 

Have  they  not  journeyed  in  the  earth,  and  seen 
what  was  the  end  of  those  who  were  before 
them  ?  They  were  in  number  more  than 
they,  and  mightier  in  strength,  and  in  their 
footprints  on  the  earth  :  but  what  they  had 
earned  availed  them  nothing  ; 

And  when  their  apostles  came  to  them  with  mani- 
festations, they  exulted  in  what  knowledge 
they  had  ;  but  that  which  they  had  scoffed  at 
encompassed  them. 

x\nd  when  they  beheld  our  might  they  said,  "  We 
believe  in  God  alone,  and  we  disbelieve  in 
what  we  joined  in  worship  with  Him." 

And  naught  availed  their  faith,  after  they  witnessed 
our  might.  Such  the  way  of  God  which  was 
reserved  for  his  servants — and  therein  the 
unbelievers  have  lost. 

(xl.) 


JONAH.  87 


JONAH. 

In  the  Ahiuic  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the  Mercifiil. 

A.  L.  R.     These  are  the  signs  of  the  wise  Book  ! 

Is  it  a  matter  of  wonder  to  the  people  that  we 
revealed  to  a  man  from  among  themselves, 
"  Warn  the  people  ;  and  bring  good  tidings 
to  those  who  believe,  that  the  reward  of  their 
good  faith  is  with  their  Lord?"  The  unbe- 
lievers say,  "Lo  !  this  is  an  evident  sorcerer  1" 

Verily  your  Lord  is  God,  who  made  the  heavens 
and  the  earth  in  six  days — then  ascended  the 
throne  to  govern  all  things  :  there  is  none  to 
plead  with  Him  save  by  His  permission. 
— This  is  God,  your  Lord  !  then  worship  ye 
Him  :  will  ye  not  mind  .? 

Unto  Him  shall  ye  all  return  by  the  sure  promise 
of  God  :  behold  !  He  produces  a  creature, 
then  maketh  it  return  again,  that  He  may 
reward  with  equity  those  who  believe  and  do 
the  things  that  are  right :  but  those  who 
believe  not,  for  them  is  the  scalding  drink, 
and  an  aching  torment — because  they  did  not 
believe. 


88  MEKKA    SPEECHES. 

It  is  He  who  hath  made  the  sun  for  shining,  and 
the  moon  for  hght,  and  ordained  him  mansions 
that  ye  may  learn  the  number  of  years  and 
the  reckoning  of  time.  God  did  not  create 
that  but  in  truth.  He  maketh  His  signs  plain 
to  a  people  who  know. 

Verily  in  the  alterations  of  the  night  and  the  day, 
and  in  all  that  God  created  in  the  heavens 
and  the  earth,  are  signs  to  a  godfearing  folk. 

Verily  they  who  do  not  hope  to  meet  us,  and  are 

satisfied  with  the  life  of  this  world,  and  are 

content  with  it,  and  they  who  are  careless  of 

our  signs, — 
Their  dwelling-place  is  the  Fire,  for  what  they  have 

earned. 
Verily  they  who  believe   and  do  the  things  that 

are  right,  their  Lord  shall  guide  them  because 

of  their  faith  ;  beneath  them  rivers  shall  flow 

in  gardens  of  delight : 
Their  ciy  therein  shall  be,  "  Extolled  be  thy  glory, 

O   God!"  and  their  salutation  therein  shall 

be  "Peace!" 
And  the  end  of  their  cry  shall  be,  "  Praise  to  God, 

Lord  of  the  worlds  ! " 
And  if  God  should  hasten  woe  upon  men  as  they 

fain  would  hasten  weal,  verily  their  appointed 


JONAH.  89 

term  is  decreed  for  them  !  therefore  we  leave 
those  who  hope  not  to  meet  us  groping  in 
their  disobedience. 

Moreover,  when  affliction  toucheth  man,  he  calleth 
us  upon  his  side,  sitting,  or  standing ;  and 
when  we  take  away  his  affliction  from  him, 
he  passeth  on  as  though  he  had  not  called  us 
in  the  affliction  that  touched  him  !  Thus  do 
the  deeds  of  transgressors  seem  good  to  them  ! 

We  have  destroyed  generations  before  you,  when 
they  sinned  and  their  apostles  came  to 
them  with  manifestations  and  they  would  not 
believe  ; — thus  do  we  requite  the  sinful  folk. 

Then  we  made  you  their  successors  in  the  earth 
after  them,  to  see  how  ye  would  act. 

But  when  our  manifest  signs  are  recited  to  them, 
they  who  hope  not  to  meet  us  say,  "  Bring  a 
different  Koran  from  this,  or  change  it." 
Say :  It  is  not  for  me  to  change  it  of  mine 
own  will.  I  follow  only  what  is  revealed  to 
me  :  verily  I  fear  if  I  disobey  my  Lord  the 
torment  of  the  great  Day. 

Say  :  If  God  pleased,  I  had  not  recited  it  to  you 
nor  taught  it  you  ;  and  already  I  had  dwelt  a 
lifetime  amongst  you  before  that :  have  ye 
then  no  wits  } 

And  who  is  more  wicked  than  he  who  forgeth  a  lie 


90  MEKKA    SPEECHES. 

against  God,  or  saith  His  signs  are  lies  ? 
Surely  the  sinners  shall  not  prosper  ! 

And  they  worship  beside  God  that  which  cannot 
hurt  them  or  help  them ;  and  they  say, 
"These  shall  be  our  pleaders  with  God." 
Say  :  Will  ye  tell  God  of  anything  He  doth  not 
know  in  the  heavens  and  in  the  earth  ?  Ex- 
tolled be  His  glory  !  and  far  be  He  above 
what  they  associate  with  Him  ! 

Men  were  of  only  one  religion  :  then  they  differed, 
and  had  not  a  decree  gone  forth  from  thy  Lord, 
there  had  certainly  been  made  a  decision 
between  them  of  that  whereon  they  differed. 

And  they  say,  "  Had  a  sign  been  sent  down  to  him 
from  his  Lord  .  .  ." — but  say :  The  unseen  is 
with  God  alone  :  wait,  therefore  ;  verily  I  am 
waiting  with  you. 

And  when  we  caused  men  to  taste  of  mercy  after 
affliction  had  touched  them,  behold !  they 
have  a  plot  against  our  signs  !  Say  :  God  is 
quick  at  plotting !  verily  our  messengers 
write  down  what  ye  plot. 

He  it  is  who  maketh  you  journey  by  land  and  sea, 
until,  when  ye  are  in  ships — and  they  run  with 
them  before  a  fair  wind,  and  they  rejoice 
thereat,   there   cometh   upon  them  a  violent 


JONAH.  91 

wind,  and  the  waves  come  upon  them  from 
every  side,  and  they  suppose  they  are  sore 
pressed  therewith  ;  they  call  on  God,  offering 
Him  sincere  rehgion  : — "  Do  thou  but  deliver 
us  from  this,  and  we  will  indeed  be  of  the 
thankful." 
But  when  we  have  delivered  them,  lo,  they  trans- 
gress unjustly  on  the  earth  !  O  ye  people  ! 
ye  wrong  your  own  souls  only  for  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  life  of  this  world  :  then  to  us  shall 
ye  return  ;  apd  we  will  tell  you  what  ye  have 
done. 

The  likeness  of  the  life  of  this  world  is  as  the 
water  which  we  send  down  from  the  heaven, 
and  there  mingleth  with  it  the  produce  of  the 
earth  of  which  men  and  cattle  eat,  until  when 
the  earth  hath  put  on  its  blazonry  and  is 
arrayed,  and  its  inhabitants  think  it  is  they 
who  ordain  it,  our  command  cometh  to  it  by 
night  or  day,  and  we  make  it  mown  down,  as 
if  it  had  not  teemed  yesterday  !  Thus  do  we 
explain  our  signs  to  a  reflecting  folk. 

And  God  calleth  you  unto  the  abode  of  peace  : 
and  guideth  whom  He  will  into  the  straight 
way : 


92  MEKKA    SPEECHES. 

To  those  who  have  done  well,  weal  and  to  spare, 

Neither  blackness  shall  cover  their  faces  nor  shame  I 
these  are  the  inmates  of  Paradise,  to  abide 
therein  for  ever. 

And  as  for  those  who  have  earned  evil,  the  recom- 
pense of  evil  is  its  like  ;  shame  shall  cover 
them — no  defender  shall  they  have  against 
God — as  though  their  faces  were  darkened 
with  the  gloom  of  night :  these  are  the  inmates 
of  the  Fire  to  abide  therein  for  ever. 

And  on  the  day  we  will  gather  them  all  together, 
then  will  we  say  to  those  who  made  Partners 
with  God,  "  To  your  place,  ye  and  your  Part- 
ners ! "  and  we  will  separate  between  them  ; 
and  their  partners  shall  say,  "  Ye  worshipped 
not  us, 

And  God  is  witness  enough  between  us  and  you 
that  we  were  indifferent  to  your  worship  ! " 

Then  shall  every  soul  make  proof  of  what  it  hath 
sent  on  before,  and  they  shall  be  brought  back 
to  God  their  true  Master,  and  what  they 
devised  shall  vanish  from  them. 

Say  :  Who  provideth  you  from  the  heaven  and  the 
earth  ?  who  is  king  over  hearing  and  sight  ? 
and  who  bringeth  forth  the  living  from  the 
dead  and  bringeth  forth   the  dead  from  the 


JONAH.  93 

living  ?    and   who   ruleth    all   things  ?      And 

they  shall    say,  "God:"  then    say:    Do   ye 

not  fear  ? 
So  that  is  God  your  true    Lord  :    and   after  the 

truth,  what  is  there  but  error?   How  then  are 

ye  turned  away  ? 
Thus  is  the  word  of  thy  Lord  fulfilled  upon  those 

who  work  iniquity :  they  shall  not  believe. 
Say  :   Is  there  any  of  the  Partners  [of  God]  who 

can   produce   a  creature,  then  bring  it  back 

again  ?      Say :     God    produceth    a    creature 

then  bringeth  it  back  again  :  how  then  are  ye 

deceived  ? 
Say  :   Is  there  any  of  the  Partners  who  guideth  to 

the  truth  ?     Say  :   God  guideth  unto  the  truth. 

Is  he  who  guideth  to  the  truth  the  worthier  to 

be  followed,  or  he  who  guideth  not  except  he 

be  guided  ?     What  is  in  you  so  to  judge  ? 
And  most  of  them  only  follow  a  fancy  :  but  a  fancy 

profiteth    nothing    against   the  truth  !    verily 

God  knoweth  what  they  do. 

Moreover  this  Koran  could  not  have  been  devised 
without  God  :  but  it  confirmeth  what  preceded 
it,  and  explaineth  the  Scripture — there  is  no 
doubt  therein — from  the  Lord  of  the  worlds. 

Do    they   say,    "  He    hath    devised    it    himself?" 


94  MEKKA    SPEECHES. 

Say  :  Then  bring  a  chapter  Hke  it :  and  call 
on  whom  ye  can  beside  God,  if  ye  be 
speakers  of  truth. 

Nay,  they  call  all  that  a  lie,  of  which  they  compass 
not  the  knowledge,  though  the  explanation  of 
it  hath  not  yet  been  given  them  ;  so  did  those 
who  were  before  them  call  the  Scriptures  lies  : 
but  see  what  was  the  end  of  the  wicked  ! 

And  some  of  them  believe  in  it,  and  some  of  them 
believe  not  in  it.  But  thy  Lord  knoweth  best 
about  the  evildoers. 

And  if  they  call  thee  a  liar,  say,  I  have  my  work, 
and  ye  have  your  work  :  ye  are  clear  of  what 
I  work,  and  I  am  clear  of  what  ye  work. 

And  some  of  them  hearken  to  thee  ;  but  canst  thou 
make  the  deaf  hear  if  they  have  no  wits  ? 

And  some  of  them  regard  thee  ;  but  canst  thou 
guide  the  blind  when  they  see  not  ? 

A^erily  God  doth  not  wrong  man  a  whit,  but  men 
wrong  themselves. 

And  on  a  day  He  will  gather  them,  as  though 
they  had  tarried  but  an  hour  of  the  day  :  they 
shall  know  one  another  !  They  are  lost  who 
denied  the  meeting  with  God  and  were  not 
guided  ! 

Whether  we  show  thee  part  of  what  we  threatened 


JONAH.  95 

against  them,  or  whether  we  take  thee  to 
ourself  [before],  to  us  is  their  return — then 
shall  God  be  witness  of  what  they  have 
done. 

And  every  nation  hath  its  apostle  ;  and  when  their 
apostle  is  come,  it  is  decided  between  them 
with  equity,  and  they  are  not  wronged. 

Yet  they  say,  "  When  will  this  promise  be,  if  ye  be 
speakers  of  truth  ? " 

Say  :  I  have  no  power  for  myself  for  woe  or  weal, 
except  as  God  pleaseth.  Every  people  hath 
its  appointed  term  :  when  their  term  is  come, 
they  shall  not  put  it  off  nor  hasten  it  an  hour. 

Say  :  Bethink  ye,  if  the  torment  of  God  come  upon 
you  by  night  or  by  day,  what  portion  of  it 
will  the  sinners  willingly  hasten  on  ? 

When  it  happeneth,  will  ye  believe  it  then  }  Yet 
would  ye  fain  hasten  it  on  ! 

Then  shall  it  be  said  to  those  who  transgressed, 
"  Taste  ye  the  torment  of  eternity  !  Shall  ye 
be  rewarded  save  according  to  what  ye  have 
earned  ?" 

They  would  fain  know  of  thee  if  this  is  true.  Say  : 
Yea,  by  my  Lord,  it  is  indeed  true,  and  ye 
cannot  weaken  Him. 

And  if  every  soul  that  transgressed  owned  all  that 
is   on   earth,  he  would   assuredly  give   it   in 


96  MEKKA    SPEECHES. 

ransom  ;  and  they  will  declare  their  repent- 
ance when  they  have  seen  the  torment  :  and 
there  shall  be  a  decision  between  them  with 
equity,  and  they  shall  not  be  wronged. 

Is  not  indeed  whatsoever  is  in  the  heavens  and  the 
earth  God's  ?  Is  not  indeed  the  promise  of 
God  true  ?     But  most  of  them  do  not  know  ! 

He  giveth  life  and  death,  and  to  Him  shall  ye 
return. 

O  ye  people  !  now  hath  a  warning  come  to  you 
from  your  Lord,  and  a  healing  for  what  is  in 
your  breasts,  and  a  guidance  and  a  mercy  to 
the  believers. 

Say  :  By  the  grace  of  God  and  his  mercy  !  And 
in  that  let  them  therefore  rejoice  :  this  is 
better  than  what  they  heap  up. 

Say  :  Do  ye  consider  what  God  hath  sent  down  to 
you  for  provision  :  but  ye  made  thereof  unlaw- 
ful and  lawful  ?  Say,  did  God  permit  you  ? 
or  do  ye  forge  against  God  ? 

But  what  will  they  think  on  the  day  of  resurrection 
who  forge  a  lie  against  God  ?  Truly  God  is 
full  of  bounty  towards  man  ;  but  most  of  them 
are  not  thankful. 

Thou  shalt  not  be  in  any  business,  and  thou  shalt 
not  read  from  the  Koran,  and  ye  shall  not  do 


JONAH.  97 

any  deed,  but  we  are  witness  against  you  when 
ye  are  engaged  therein  ;  and  there  escapeth 
not  thy  Lord  an  ant's  weight  in  earth  or  in 
heaven  :  and  there  is  nothing  lesser  or  greater 
than  that,  but  it  is  in  the  plain  Book. 
Are  not  they  truly  the  friends  of  God  on  whom  is 

no  fear  neither  are  they  sorrowful — ■ 
They  who  believed  and  feared  God, — 
For  them  are  good  tidings  in  the  life  of  this  world, 
and  in  the  life  to  come  there  is  no  changing  in 
God's  sentences.     That  is  the  great  prize  ! 

And  let  not  their  discourse  grieve  thee  :  verily  all 
power  belongeth  to  God,  He  it  is  who  heareth 
and  knoweth. 

Doth  not  whoever  is  in  the  heavens  and  whoever 
is  in  the  earth  belong  to  God  ?  then  what  do 
they  follow  who  call  upon  Partners  beside 
God  ?  verily  they  follow  but  a  fancy  ;  and 
verily  they  are  naught  but  liars. 

It  is  He  who  made  you  the  night  to  rest  in,  and 
the  day  for  seeing  :  verily  in  that  are  signs  to 
a  folk  that  can  hear  ! 

They  say,  "  God  hath  taken  him  a  son."  Extolled 
be  his  glory  !  He  is  the  Self-sufficient,  all 
that  is  in  the  heavens,  and  all   that  is  in  the 

H 


98  MEKKA    SPEECHES. 

earth  is  his  !  ye  have  no  warranty  for  this  ! 
do  ye  say  about  God  that  which  ye  know  not?" 

Say :  Verily  they  who  forge  this  He  against  God 
shall  not  prosper  : — 

A  passing  joy  in  this  world,  then  to  us  they  return  ; 
and  then  we  will  make  them  taste  the  griev- 
ous torment,  because  they  did  not  believe. 

And  tell  them  the  story  of  Noah,  when  he  said  to 
his  people, — "  O  my  people  !  though  my 
dwelling  with  you  and  my  warning  you  of  the 
signs  of  God  hath  been  grievous  to  you,  yet  in 
God  do  I  put  my  trust :  so  gather  together 
your  case  and  your  Partners  ;  then  will  not 
your  case  fall  upon  you  in  the  dark  :  then 
decide  about  me  and  delay  not. 

And  if  ye  turn,  yet  ask  I  no  reward  from  you  :  my 
reward  is  with  God  alone,  and  I  am  com- 
manded to  be  of  those  who  are  resigned." 

But  they  called  him  a  liar,  so  we  delivered  him 
and  those  who  were  with  him  in  the  ship, 
and  we  made  them  to  survive ;  and  we 
drowned  those  who  had  called  our  signs  lies : 
see  then  what  was  the  end  of  those  who  were 
warned  ! 

Then  after  him,  we  sent  apostles  to  their  people, 


JONAH.  99 

and  they  came  to  them  with  manifestations  : 
but  they  would  not  beUeve  in  what  they  had 
denied  before  :  thus  do  we  put  a  seal  upon 
the  hearts  of  the  transgressors. 

Then  sent  we,  after  them,  Moses  and  Aaron  to 
Pharaoh  and  his  nobles  with  our  signs  ;  but 
they  were  puffed  up  and  were  a  sinful  folk. 

And  when  the  truth  came  to  them  from  us,  they 
said,  "  This  is  clear  sorcery  indeed." 

Moses  said,  "  Say  ye  of  the  truth  when  it  is  come 
to  you.  Is  this  sorcery  ? — but  sorcerers  shall 
not  prosper." 

They  said,  "  Art  thou  come  to  us  to  hinder  us  from 
what  we  found  our  fathers  in,  and  in  order 
that  for  you  twain  there  shall  be  majesty  in 
the  land  1  but  we  are  not  going  to  believe  in 
you!" 

And  Pharaoh  said,  "  Fetch  me  every  wise 
sorcerer."  And  when  the  sorcerers  came, 
Moses  said  to  them,  "  Cast  down  what  ye 
have  to  cast." 

And  when  they  had  cast  them  down,  Moses  said, 
"  What  ye  come  with  is  sorcery  :  verily  God 
will  make  it  vain  ;  aye,  God  doth  not  prosper 
the  work  of  evildoers  ; 

And  God  will  establish  the  truth  by  his  word, 
though  loth  be  the  sinners." 


loo  MEKKA   SPEECHES. 

And  none  believed  in  Moses  but  the  children  of 
his  own  folk,  for  fear  of  Pharaoh  and  his 
nobles,  lest  he  should  afflict  them  :  for  of  a 
truth  Pharaoh  was  mighty  in  the  earth,  and 
verily  he  was  of  the  transgressors. 

And  Moses  said,  "  O  my  people  !  if  ye  believe  in 
God,  put  your  trust  in  Him,  if  ye  are  resigned." 

And  they  said,  "  In  God  do  we  put  our  trust.  O 
our  Lord,  make  us  not  a  trial  to  the  folk  of 
the  wicked. 

And  deliver  us  in  Thy  mercy  from  the  folk  of  the 
unbelievers." 

Then  revealed  we  to  Moses  and  to  his  brother  : 
"  Build  houses  for  your  people  in  Egypt,  and 
make  your  houses  with  a  Kibla,  and  perform 
prayer,  and  give  good  tidings  to  the  believers." 

And  Moses  said,  "  O  our  Lord,  thou  hast  indeed 
given  to  Pharaoh  and  his  nobles  adornments 
'  and  riches  in  the  life  of  this  world  :  O  our 
Lord  !  may  they  err  from  thy  way ;  O  our 
Lord,  confound  their  riches,  and  harden  their 
hearts,  so  shall  they  not  believe  until  they 
see  the  aching  torment." 

God  said  :  "  Your  prayer  is  heard,  then  stand  ye 
upright,  and  follow  not  the  path  of  those  who 
know  not." 

And  we  brought  the  Children  of  Israel  across  the 


JONAH.  loi 

sea  ;  and  Pharaoh  and  his  host  followed  them, 
eager  and  hostile,  until  when  drowning 
overtook  him  he  said,  "  I  believe  that  there 
is  no  God  but  He  in  whom  the  Children  of 
Israel  believe,  and  I  am  one  of  the  resigned." 

"  Now !  thou  hast  been  rebellious  aforetime,  and 
wast  one  of  the  evildoers, 

This  day  will  we  raise  thee  in  thy  flesh,  to  be  a 
sign  to  those  who  come  after  thee  :  but  verily 
many  men  are  heedless  of  our  signs  ! " 

Moreover  we  lodged  the  Children  of  Israel  in  a 
firm  abode,  and  provided  them  with  good 
things :  and  they  did  not  differ  until  the 
knowledge  came  to  them  ;  verily  thy  Lord 
will  decide  between  them  on  the  Day  of  Re- 
surrection concerning  that  on  which  they 
differed. 

And  if  thou  art  in  doubt  of  what  we  have  sent 
down  to  thee,  inquire  of  those  who  read  the 
Scriptures  before  thee.  Now  hath  truth  come 
unto  thee  from  thy  Lord  :  then  be  not  thou 
of  those  who  doubt. 

Neither  be  of  those  who  deny  the  signs  of  God 
lest  thou  be  among  the  losers. 

Verily  they  against  whom  the  word  of  thy  Lord  is 
passed  shall  not  believe, — 


102  MEKKA    SPEECHES. 

Though  there  came  unto  them  every  kind  of  sign, 

— till  they  behold  the  aching  torment. 
Else    any   city  had   believed,   and    its  faith  had 

benefited   it : — save  the    people   of  Jonah  ; 

when  they  believed,  we  took  away  from  them 

the  torment  of  shame  in  the  life  of  this  world, 

and  provided  for  them  awhile. 
But  if  thy  Lord  pleased,  verily  all  who  are  in  the 

earth   had    believed    together.      Then    canst 

thou  compel  men  to  become  believers  ? 
It  is  not  in  a  soul  to  believe  but  by  the  permission 

of  God  :  and  He  shall  lay  His  curse  on  those 

who  have  no  wits. 
Say  :   Look  upon  that  which  is  in  the  heavens  and 

in  the  earth  :  but  signs  and  warners  avail  not 

a  folk  that  will  not  believe  ! 
What  then  can  they  expect  but  the  like   of  the 

days  of  those  who  passed  away  before  them  ? 

Say  :  Wait  ye, — I  too  am  waiting  with  you. 
Then  will  we  deliver  our  apostles  and  those  who 

believe  :  thus  is  it  binding  on  us  to  deliver 

the  faithful. 
Say  :    O    ye   people  !    if  ye  are   in   doubt  of  my 

religion,   I    do  not   worship  those   whom  ye 

worship  beside  God  ;  but  I  worship  God,  who 

taketh  you  away  ;  and   I  am  commanded  to 

be  of  the  faithful. 


JONAH.  103 

And  set  thy  face  towards  religion  as  a  Hanlf,  and 
be  not  of  those  idolaters  : 

And  invoke  not  beside  God  that  which  can  neither 
help  nor  hurt ;  for  if  thou  do,  thou  wilt  cer- 
tainly be  of  the  wicked. 

And  if  God  touch  thee  with  affliction,  there  is  none 
to  remove  it  but  He.  And  if  He  desire  thy 
good,  there  is  none  to  hinder  His  bounty — 
He  will  confer  it  on  whom  He  pleaseth  of  his 
servants  :  and  He  is  the  Forgiving,  the  Mer- 
ciful ! 

Say  :  O  ye  people  !  now  hath  truth  come  unto 
you  from  your  Lord  ;  then  he  who  is  guided, 
is  guided  only  for  his  own  behoof:  but  he 
who  erreth  doth  err  only  against  himself; 
and  I  am  no  governor  over  you  ! 

And  follow  what  is  revealed  to  thee :  and  be 
patient  till  God  judgeth  ;  and  He  is  the  best 
of  judges. 

(X.) 


I04  MEKKA   SPEECHES. 


THE    THUNDER. 

/;/  tlic  Name  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the  MeTcifiil. 

A.  L.  M.  R.  These  are  the  Signs  of  the  Book  ! 
and  that  which  was  sent  down  to  thee  from 
thy  Lord  is  the  truth  :  but  most  men  do  not 
believe. 

It  is  God  who  raised  the  heavens  without  pillars 
that  ye  can  see  ;  then  ascended  the  Throne, 
and  subdued  the  sun  and  the  moon  :  each 
runneth  to  its  appointed  goal,  to  rule  every 
thing,  to  manifest  signs.  Haply  ye  will  be 
convinced  of  meeting  your  Lord  ! 

And  it  is  He  who  spread  out  the  earth,  and  put 
thereon  firm  mountains,  and  rivers  ;  and  of 
every  fruit  He  hath  made  therein  two  kinds  : 
He  maketh  the  night  to  cover  the  day  ;  verily 
in  that  are  signs  for  reflecting  folk. 

And  on  the  earth  are  neighbouring  tracts,  and 
gardens  of  grapes,  and  corn,  and  palms  clus- 
tered and  not  clustered  at  the  root  ;  they  are 
watered  by  the  same  water,  yet  we  make 
some  better  than  others  for  food  :  verily  in 
that  are  signs  for  folk  that  have  wits. 


THE   THUNDER.  105 

If  ever  thou  dost  wonder,  wonderful  is  their  saying, 
"What!  when  we  have  become  dust,  shall 
we  indeed  become  a  new  creation  ?" 

These  are  they  who  disbelieve  in  their  Lord  :  and 
these  shall  have  the  shackles  on  their  necks, 
and  these  shall  be  the  inmates  of  the  fire  to 
abide  therein  for  ever. 

They  will  bid  thee  hasten  evil  rather  than  good  : 
examples  have  passed  away  before  them  ;  and 
verily  thy  Lord  is  full  of  forgiveness  unto 
men  despite  their  iniquity ;  and  verily  thy 
Lord  is  heavy  in  punishing. 

And  they  who  disbelieve  say,  "  Unless  a  sign  be 
sent  down  to  him  from  his  Lord  ..."  Thou 
art  but  a  warner,  and  to  every  people  its  guide. 

God  knoweth  what  every  woman  beareth,  and 
the  decrease  of  the  wombs  and  the  increase  ; 
for  the  pattern  of  all  things  is  with  Him, 

Who  knoweth  the  hidden  and  the  seen,  the  Great, 
the  Most  High. 

Equal  is  he  of  you  who  concealeth  his  words  and 
he  that  proclaimeth  them  :  he  who  hideth  by 
night,  and  he  who  goeth  abroad  by  day. 

Each  hath  angels  before  him  and  behind  him, 
who  watch  over  him  by  God's  command. 
Verily  God  doth  not  change  towards  a 
people,    till    they    change    themselves  ;    and 


io6  MEKKA    SPEECHES. 

wlien  God  vvilleth  evil  unto  a  people,  there 
is  no  averting  it,  nor  have  they  any  protector 
beside  Him. 

It  is  He  who  showeth  you  the  lightning  for  fear  and 
hope  [of  rain],  and  gathereth  the  lowering 
clouds, 

And  the  Thunder  magnifieth  His  praise,  and  the 
angels,  for  awe  of  Him,  and  He  sendeth  His 
thunderbolts  and  smiteth  therewith  whom  He 
pleaseth : — and  they  are  wrangling  about 
God  !  but  strong  is  His  might ! 

Unto  Him  is  the  true  cry  :  but  those  whom  they 
cry  to  beside  Him  shall  answer  them  naught 
save  as  one  who  stretcheth  forth  his  hands  to 
the  water  that  it  may  reach  his  mouth,  but  it 
doth  not  reach  it  !  The  cry  of  the  unbe- 
lievers is  but  in  error. 

And  unto  God  bow  down  all  things  in  the  heavens 
and  the  earth,  willingly  or  unwillingly,  and 
their  shadows  at  morn  and  eve  ! 

Say  :  Who  is  Lord  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth  ? 
Say  :  God.  Say  :  Why  then  have  ye  taken 
beside  Him  Patrons  who  are  powerless  for 
weal  or  woe  to  themselves  ?  Say  :  What ! 
are  the  blind  and  the  seeing  alike  ?  or  are 


THE   THUNDER.  107 

darkness  and  light  the  same  ?  or  have  they 
made  Partners  for  God,  who  create  as  He 
creates,  so  that  they  confuse  the  creation  ? 
Say  :  God  is  the  Creator  of  all  things,  He  is 
the  One,  the  Conqueror. 

He  sendeth  down  water  from  heaven  ;  and  the 
valleys  flow  in  their  degree,  and  the  torrent 
beareth  along  foaming  froth,  and  from  the 
[ore]  which  they  burn  in  the  fire,  desiring 
ornaments  or  necessaries,  a  scum  like  it 
ariseth.  So  doth  God  liken  truth  and  false- 
hood. As  to  the  scum  it  passeth  off  as  refuse, 
and  as  to  what  profiteth  man  it  remaineth  on 
the  earth.  Thus  doth  God  frame  parables. 
For  those  who  respond  to  their  Lord,  good  ; 
but  those  who  respond  not  to  Him,  had  they 
all  that  the  earth  containeth  and  its  like  be- 
side it,  they  would  surely  give  it  in  ransom  : 
these  shall  have  an  evil  reckoning,  and  Hell 
shall  be  their  home, —  and  wretched  the 
bed! 

Is  he  who  knoweth  that  what  hath  been  sent  down 
to  thee  from  thy  Lord  is  naught  but  the  truth, 
like  to  him  who  is  blind  ?  but  men  of  under- 
standing alone  will  mind. 

Who  fulfil  their  covenant  with  God  and  break  not 
the  compact ; 


io8  MEKKA    SPEECHES. 

And  who  join  what  God  hath  bidden  to  be  joined, 
and  who  fear  their  Lord  and  dread  the  evil 
reckoning ; 

And  who  are  patient,  seeking  the  face  of  their 
Lord,  and  perform  prayer  and  give  alms 
secretly  and  openly  of  what  we  have  provided 
them,  and  turn  away  evil  with  good  :  for 
these  is  the  reward  of  the  Abode, — 

Gardens  of  eternity,  into  which  they  shall  enter 
together  with  those  who  were  just  of  their 
fathers  and  their  wives  and  their  offspring : 
and  the  angels  shall  go  in  unto  them  at  every 
gate  [saying]  : — 

"Peace  be  upon  you  !  because  ye  were  patient." 
And  pleasant  is  the  reward  of  the  Abode  ! 

But  those  who  break  God's  covenant  after  they 
have  pledged  it,  and  cut  asunder  what  God 
hath  bidden  to  be  joined,  and  work  iniquity 
in  the  earth,  for  these  is  a  curse  and  a  sore 
abode  ! 

God  is  lavish  with  provision  to  whom  He  pleaseth, 
or  He  stinteth  it.  And  they  rejoice  in  the  life 
of  this  world  ;  but  the  life  of  this  world  is  but 
a  passing  joy  to  the  life  to  come. 

And  they  who  disbelieve  say,  "  Unless  a  sign  be 
sent  down  to  him  from  his  Lord.   .   ."     Say  : 


THE   THUNDER.  109 

God  truly  misleadeth  whom  He  will ;  and  He 
guideth  to  himself  those  who  repent, 

Who  believe,  and  whose  hearts  are  at  peace  in  the 
remembrance  of  God  !  yea,  in  the  remem- 
brance of  God  shall  the  hearts  be  at  peace  of 
those  who  believe  and  do  the  things  that  are 
right — good  betide  them,  and  happy  be  their 
goal ! 

Thus  have  we  sent  thee  among  a  nation,  before 
whom  other  nations  have  passed  away,  that 
thou  mayest  tell  them  what  we  have  inspired 
thee  with  :  yet  they  disbelieve  in  the  Merciful ! 
Say :  He  is  my  Lord — there  is  no  God  but 
Him.  In  Him  do  I  put  my  trust,  and  unto 
Him  is  my  return. 

Though  there  were  a  Koran  by  which  the  moun- 
tains were  removed  or  the  earth  cloven  or 
the  dead  given  speech — Nay !  to  God 
belongeth  the  rule  in  all :  know  not  they  who 
believe,  that  if  God  pleased.  He  would  cer- 
tainly have  guided  men  in  all  ? 

And  calamity  shall  not  cease  to  befal  the  unbe- 
lievers for  what  they  have  done,  or  settle  hard 
by  their  dwellings,  until  the  promise  of  God 
shall  come  to  pass.  Verily  God  will  not  fail 
in  what  He  promised. 


no  MEKKA    SPEECHES. 

Before  thee  apostles  have  been  mocked  at — and 
long  I  suffered  those  who  disbelieved  ;  then 
I  took  hold  of  them  ;  and  how  great  was  my 
punishment  ! 

Who  then  is  he  that  is  standing  over  every  soul  to 
mark  what  it  hath  earned  ?  Yet  they  made 
Partners  with  God  !  Say  :  Name  them  ! 
could  ye  inform  him  of  what  He  knoweth  not 
in  the  earth,  or  are  they  aught  beyond  words  ? 
Nay,  their  artifice  commended  itself  to  those 
who  disbelieve  ;  and  they  are  turned  aside 
from  the  road  ;  and  whom  God  misleadeth, 
he  hath  no  guide. 

Torment  is  theirs  in  the  life  of  this  world,  and 
assuredly  the  torment  of  the  world  to  come 
shall  be  worse,  and  they  shall  have  no  one 
to  ward  them  from  God. 

A  likeness  of  the  Paradise  which  is  promised  to 
those  that  fear  God  : — The  rivers  flow  beneath 
it ;  its  food  and  its  shades  are  everlasting. 
That  is  the  end  of  those  who  fear  God  :  but 
the  end  of  the  unbelievers  is  the  Fire. 

They  to  whom  we  have  given  the  Book  rejoice  in 
what  hath  been  sent  down  to  thee,  yet  some 
of  the  confederates  deny  a  part  of  it.     Say  : 


THE    THUNDER.  m 

I  am  commanded  only  to  worship  God,  and 
not  to  associate  any  with  Him  :  on  Him  I 
cry,  and  unto  Him  is  my  goal. 

Thus  have  we  sent  down  the  Koran  as  an  Arabic 
judgment ;  and  assuredly,  if  thou  followed 
their  desires  after  the  knowledge  had  come 
to  thee,  thou  shouldst  have  no  protector  nor 
warder  against  God. 

And  we  have  sent  apostles  before  thee,  and  gave 
them  wives  and  offspring.  But  to  no  apostle 
was  it  given  to  bring  a  sign  save  by  God's 
permission  :  to  each  age  its  Book. 

God  wipeth  out  or  confirmeth  what  He  pleaseth, 
and  with  Him  is  the  Mother  of  the  Book. 

And  whether  we  show  thee  somewhat  of  that 
which  we  promised  them,  or  take  thee 
hence  before  ;  verily,  it  is  thine  to  announce 
only,  and  ours  to  take  account. 

See  they  not  that  we  come  into  the  land  and  cut 
down  its  chiefs  ?  And  when  God  judgeth, 
there  is  none  to  reverse  His  sentence  :  and 
He  is  swift  to  reckon. 

And  those  who  were  before  them  plotted :  but  God's 
is  the  master  plot :  He  knoweth  what  every 
one  soul  earneth,  and  the  infidels  shall  know 
for  whom  is  the  reward  of  the  abode. 


112  MEKKA   SPEECHES. 

And  those  who  disbelieve  shall  say,  "  Thou  art  not 
sent  from  God."  Say  :  God  is  witness  enough 
between  me  and  you,  and  he  that  hath  know- 
ledge of  the  Book. 

(xiii.) 


THE   SPEECHES    OF   MEDINA 


THE   PERIOD    OF    HARANGUE 
Aei.  53-63 

A.H.    I-II    =    A.D.  622-632 


"5 


DECEPTION. 

In  the  Na7ne  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the  Merciful. 

All  that  is  in  the  heavens,  and  all  that  is  in  the 
earth,  magnifieth  God  :  His  is  the  kingdom. 
His  is  the  praise,  and  He  is  powerful  over  all 
things. 

It  is  He  who  hath  created  you ;  and  one  of  you  is 
an  unbeliever,  and  another  a  believer ;  and 
God  seeth  what  ye  do. 

He  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth  in  truth  ; 
and  He  hath  fashioned  you  and  made  goodly 
your  forms  ;  and  to  Him  is  your  journeying. 

He  knoweth  what  is  in  the  heavens  and  the  earth  ; 
and  He  knoweth  what  ye  hide  and  what  ye 
manifest ;  and  God  knoweth  well  the  secrets 
of  the  breast. 

Hath  not  the  story  come  to  you  of  those  who  dis- 
beheved  aforetime,  and  tasted  the  evil  fruit 
of  their  doings,  and  received  an  aching  tor- 
ment ? 

That  was  because  when  their  apostles  had  come  to 
them  with  manifestations,  they  said,  "  Shall 
mortal  men  guide  us?"     And  they  believed 


ii6  MEDINA    SPEECHES. 

not  and  turned  their  backs.  But  God  had  no 
need  of  them  ;  and  God  is  Self-sufficient  and 
worthy  to  be  praised  ! 

The  unbelievers  pretend  that  they  shall  by  no 
means  be  raised  again.  Say  :  Nay,  by  my 
Lord,  but  ye  shall  be  raised  ;  then  shall  ye 
certainly  be  told  of  what  ye  have  done  :  and 
that  is  easy  with  God. 

Believe  then  in  God  and  His  Apostle,  and  in  the 
light  which  we  have  sent  down ;  for  God 
knoweth  perfectly  what  ye  do. 

The  day  when  He  shall  gather  you  together  for 
the  Day  of  Assembly,  that  is  the  day  of 
Deception.  And  whoso  beUeveth  in  God 
and  doeth  that  which  is  right,  God  shall  take 
away  his  sins,  and  He  will  bring  him  into  the 
gardens  beneath  which  rivers  flow,  to  dwell 
there  evermore  :  that  is  the  great  prize  ! 

But  those  who  believe  not,  but  deny  our  signs — 
those  shall  be  the  inmates  of  the  fire,  to 
dwell  therein  for  ever;  and  evil  is  their 
journey. 

There  happeneth  no  misfortune  but  by  God's  per- 
mission ;  and  whoso  believeth  in  God,  He 
guideth  his  heart ;  and  God  knoweth  all 
things. 


DECEPTION.  117 

Obey  God,  therefore,  and  obey  the  Apostle  :  but  if 
ye  turn  away,  our  Apostle  is  only  charged 
with  a  plain  message  : — 

God,  there  is  no  God  but  He  !  Then  in  God  let 
the  faithful  trust. 

O  ye  who  believe  !  verily  in  your  wives  and  your 
children  ye  have  an  adversary,  wherefore 
beware  of  them.  But  if  ye  relent  and  pardon 
and  forgive,  then  verily  God  too  is  Forgiving 
and  Merciful. 

Your  wealth  and  your  children  are  but  a  snare  : 
but  God,  with  Him  is  the  great  reward. 

Then  fear  God  with  all  your  might,  and  hear  and 
obey,  and  give  alms  for  your  own  sakes  ;  and 
whoso  is  saved  from  his  own  covetousness, — 
these  it  is  who  prosper. 

If  ye  lend  God  a  good  loan.  He  will  double  it  to 
you,  and  will  forgive  you  :  for  God  is  Grate- 
ful, Mild, 

Knowing  the  secret  and  the  open  ;   the  Mighty, 

the  Wise  ! 

(Ixiv.) 


ii8  MEDINA    SPEECHES. 


IRON. 

In  the  Name  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the  Merciful. 

All  that  is  in  the  heavens  and  the  earth  mag- 
nifieth  God,  and  He  is  the  Mighty,  the 
Wise. 

His  is  the  kingdom  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth, 
He  giveth  hfe  and  giveth  death,  and  He  is 
powerful  over  all  things. 

He  is  the  first  and  the  last,  the  seen  and  the  un- 
seen, and  all  things  doth  He  know. 

It  is  He  who  created  the  heavens  and  the  earth  in 
six  days,  then  ascended  the  Throne ;  He 
knoweth  what  goeth  into  the  earth  and  what 
Cometh  out  of  it,  and  what  cometh  down  from 
the  sky  and  what  riseth  up  into  it ;  and  He 
is  with  you,  wherever  ye  be  ;  and  God  seeth 
what  ye  do. 

His  is  the  kingdom  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth, 
and  to  God  shall  all  things  return. 

He  maketh  the  night  to  follow  the  day,  and  He 
maketh  the  day  to  follow  the  night,  and  He 
knoweth  the  secrets  of  the  breast. 

Believe  in  God  and  His  apostle,  and  give  alms  of 


IRON.  119 

what  He  hath  made  you  to  inherit  ;  for  to 
those  of  you  who  believe  and  give  ahns  shall 
be  a  great  reward. 

What  aileth  you  that  ye  do  not  believe  in  God  and 
His  Apostle  who  calleth  you  to  believe  in 
your  Lord  1  He  hath  already  accepted  your 
covenant  if  ye  believe. 

It  is  He  who  hath  sent  down  to  His  servant 
manifest  signs  to  lead  you  from  darkness  into 
light :  for  God  is  indeed  kind  and  merciful 
towards  you. 

And  what  aileth  you  that  ye  give  not  alms  in  the 
path  of  God,  when  God's  is  the  heritage  of 
the  heavens  and  the  earth  1  Those  of  you 
who  give  before  the  victory,  and  fight,  shall 
not  be  deemed  equal, — they  are  of  nobler 
degree  than  those  who  give  afterwards  and 
fight.  Yet  to  all  hath  God  promised  the 
beauteous  reward  ;  and  God  knoweth  what  ye 
do. 

Who  is  he  who  will  lend  God  a  good  loan  .'' — He 
will  double  it  for  him,  and  his  shall  be  a 
noble  recompense. 

The  day  ye  shall  see  the  faithful,  men  and  women, 
their  light  running  in  front  and  on  their  right 
hand — "  Glad   tidings   for  you   this   day  ! — 


I20  MEDINA    SPEECHES. 

gardens    whereunder    rivers    flow,    to    abide 
therein  for  ever :"  that  is  the  great  prize  ! 
The  day  when  the  hypocrites,  men  and  women, 
will  say  to  those  who  believe,  *'  Stay  for  us, 
that  we  may  kindle   our  light  from   yours." 
It  shall  be  said,  "  Go  back  and  find  a  light." 
And  there  shall  be  set  up  between  them  a 
wall,  with  a  gate  in  it ;  and  inside,  within  it, 
shall  be  Mercy,  and  outside,  in  front  of  it. 
Torment !     They  shall   cry  out,   "  Were  we 
not  with  you  ?"     The  others  shall  say,  "  Yea  ! 
but  ye  fell  into  temptation,  and  waited,  and 
doubted,  and  your  desires  deceived  you,  till 
the   behest    of  God    came, — and   the  arch- 
tempter  beguiled  you  from  God." 
And  on  that  day  no  ransom  shall  be  accepted  from 
you,  nor  from  those  who  disbelieved  —  your 
goal  is  the  Fire,  w^hich  is  your  master ;  and 
evil  is  the  journey  thereto. 
Hath  not  the  Hour  come  to  those  who  believe,  to 
humble  their  hearts  to  the  warning  of  God 
and  the  truth  which  He  hath  sent  down  ?  and 
that  they  may  not  be  like  those  who  received 
the  Scripture  aforetime,  whose  lives  were  pro- 
longed, but  their  hearts  were  hardened,  and 
many  of  them  were  disobedient. 
Know   that    God    quickeneth   the   earth   after   its 


IRON.  121 

death  :  now  have  we  made  clear  to  you  the 
signs, — haply  ye  have  wits  ! 

Verily  the  charitable,  both  men  and  women,  and 
they  who  lend  God  a  good  loan,  it  shall  be 
doubled  to  them,  and  theirs  shall  be  a  noble 
recompense. 

And  they  who  believe  in  God  and  His  Apostle, 
these  are  the  truth -tellers  and  the  witnesses 
before  their  Lord :  they  have  their  reward 
and  their  light.  And  they  who  disbelieve 
and  deny  our  signs — these  are  the  inmates  of 
Hell! 

Know  that  the  life  of  this  world  is  but  a  game  and 
pastime  and  show  and  boast  among  you  ; 
and  multiplying  riches  and  children  is  like 
rain,  whose  vegetation  delighteth  the  infidels 
— then  they  wither  away,  and  thou  seest 
them  all  yellow,  and  they  become  chaff. 
And  in  the  life  to  come  is  grievous  torment, 

Or  else  forgiveness  from  God  and  His  approval : 
but  the  life  of  this  world  is  naught  but  a  delu- 
sive joy. 

Strive  together  for  forgiveness  from  your  Lord  and 
Paradise,  whose  width  is  as  the  width  of 
heaven  and  earth,  prepared  for  those  who 
believe  in  God  and  in  His  Apostle.  That  is 
the  grace  of  God  !  who  giveth  it  to  whom  He 


122  MEDINA   SPEECHES. 

pleaseth ;  and  God  is  the  fount  of  boundless 
grace. 

There  happeneth  no  misfortune  on  the  earth  or  to 
yourselves,  but  it  is  written  in  the  Book  before 
we  created  it :  verily  that  is  easy  to  God  ! — 

That  ye  may  not  grieve  over  what  is  beyond  you, 
nor  exult  over  what  cometh  to  you  ;  for  God 
loveth  not  any  presumptuous  boasters, 

Who  are  covetous  and  commend  covetousness  to 
men.  But  whoso  turneth  away, — verily  God 
is  Rich  and  worthy  to  be  praised. 

We  sent  Our  Apostles  with  manifestations,  and 
We  sent  down  by  them  the  Book  and  the 
Balance,  that  men  might  stand  upright  in 
equity,  and  We  sent  down  Iron,  wherein  is 
great  strength  and  uses  for  men, — and  that 
God  might  know  who  would  help  Him  and 
His  Apostles  in  secret :  verily  God  is  strong 
and  mighty. 

And  we  sent  Noah  and  Abraham,  and  we  gave 
their  seed  prophecy  in  the  Scripture  :  and 
some  of  them  are  guided,  but  many  are 
disobedient. 

Then  we  sent  our  apostles  in  their  footsteps,  and 
we  sent  Jesus  the  Son  of  Mary,  and  gave 
him  the  Gospel,  and  put  in  the  hearts  of 
those  that  follow  him  kindness  and  pitifulness ; 


IRON.  123 

but  monkery,  they  invented  it  themselves  ! 
We  prescribed  it  not  to  them — save  only  to 
seek  the  approval  of  God,  but  they  did  not 
observe  this  with  due  observance.  Yet  we 
gave  their  reward  to  those  of  them  that 
believed,  but  many  of  them  were  transgressors. 

O  ye  who  believe,  fear  God  and  believe  in  His 
Apostle  ;  He  will  give  you  a  double  portion 
of  His  mercy,  and  will  set  you  a  light  to  walk 
by,  and  will  forgive  you  :  for  God  is  forgiving 
and  merciful : — 

That  the  People  of  the  Scripture  may  know  that 
they  have  not  power  over  aught  of  God's 
grace  ;  and  that  grace  is  in  the  hands  of  God 
alone,  who  giveth  to  whom  He  pleaseth  :  and 
God  is  the  fount  of  boundless  grace. 

(Ivii.) 


124  MEDINA    SPEECHES. 


THE    VICTORY. 

In  the  Name  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the  Merciful. 

Verily  we  have  won  for  thee  a  clear  Victory — 

That  God  may  forgive  thee  thy  former  and  latter 
sins,  and  fulfil  His  grace  to  thee,  and  guide 
thee  on  the  straight  way, 

And  that  God  may  help  thee  mightily. 

He  it  is  who  sent  down  peace  into  the  hearts  of 
the  faithful,  to  strengthen  their  faith  with 
faith,  (for  God's  are  the  armies  of  the  heavens 
and  the  earth,  and  God  is  All-knowing  and 
Wise  :) 

To  bring  the  faithful,  men  and  women,  into 
gardens  beneath  which  rivers  flow,  to  dwell 
therein  for  ever,  and  to  take  away  their 
offences  ;  and  that  is  the  great  prize  with 
God: 

And  to  torment  the  hypocrites  and  the  idolaters, 
men  and  women,  who  think  of  God  an  evil 
thought ;  there  shall  come  upon  them  a  turn 
of  evil,  and  God  is  wroth  with  them  and  hath 
cursed  them,  and  hath  prepared  Hell  for 
them,  and  evil  shall  be  their  journey. 


THE  VICTORY.  125 

God's  are  the  armies  of  the  heavens  and  the  earth, 
and  God  is  Mighty  and  Wise  ! 

Verily  we  have  sent  thee  as  a  witness  and  a 
herald  of  gladness  and  a  warner, 

That  ye  may  believe  in  God  and  in  His  Apostle  ; 
and  may  revere  Him,  and  honour  Him,  and 
magnify  Him  morning  and  evening. 

In  truth,  they  who  swear  fealty  to  thee,  do  but 
swear  fealty  to  God  :  the  hand  of  God  is  upon 
their  hands  !  Whosoever  therefore  breaketh 
it,  breaketh  it  only  to  his  own  hurt ;  but 
whosoever  is  true  to  what  he  hath  covenanted 
with  God,  He  will  give  him  a  great  reward. 

The  Arabs  of  the  desert  who  were  left  behind  will 
say  to  thee,  "  Our  property  and  our  families 
employed  us  ;  so  ask  pardon  for  us."  They 
speak  with  their  tongues  what  is  not  in  their 
hearts.  Say  :  But  who  can  obtain  aught  for 
you  from  God,  if  He  design  for  you  harm, 
or  design  for  you  benefit  ?  Nay,  God  is  ac- 
quainted with  what  ye  do  ! 

Nay,  ye  thought  that  the  Apostles  and  the  faithful 
would  not  come  back  to  their  families  any 
more,  and  that  seemed  good  in  your  hearts. 


126  MEDINA   SPEECHES. 

and  ye  thought  an  evil  thought,  and  ye  are  a 
lost  people. 

And  whosoever   believeth    not   in   God    and   His 

Apostle verily  we  have  made  ready  a 

flame  for  the  unbelievers  ! 

And  God's  is  the  kingdom  of  the  heavens  and  of 
the  earth  ;  He  forgiveth  whom  He  will,  and 
He  tormenteth  whom  He  will :  and  God  is 
Forgiving,  Merciful  ! 

They  who  were  left  behind  will  say  when  ye  go 
forth  to  the  spoil  to  take  it,  "  Let  us  follow 
you."  They  would  fain  change  the  Word  of 
God.  Say :  Ye  shall  by  no  means  follow 
us  ;  thus  hath  God  said  already.  Then  they 
will  say,  "  Nay,  ye  are  jealous  of  us."  Nay, 
they  are  men  of  but  little  understanding. 

Say  to  those  who  were  left  behind  of  the  Arabs  of 
the  desert,  Ye  shall  be  called  out  against 
a  people  of  mighty  valour  ;  ye  shall  fight 
with  them,  or  they  shall  profess  Islam.  If, 
therefore,  ye  obey,  God  will  bring  you  a 
goodly  reward ;  but  if  ye  turn  your  backs 
as  ye  turned  your  backs  before.  He  will 
torment  you  with  aching  torment. 

For  the  blind  it  is  no  crime,  and  for  the  lame  no 
crime,  and  for  the  sick  no  crime  [to  turn  the 
back.]     And   whoso   obeyeth   God  and   His 


THE  VICTORY.  127 

Apostle  He  shall  bring  him  into  gardens 
whereunder  rivers  flow  :  but  whoso  turneth 
his  back,  He  will  torment  him  with  aching 
torment. 

Well-pleased  was  God  with  the  believers,  when 
they  sware  fealty  to  thee  under  the  tree ; 
and  He  knew  what  was  in  their  hearts  :  there- 
fore did  He  send  down  tranquillity  upon  them, 
and  rewarded  them  with  a  victory  near  at  hand. 

And  many  spoils  to  take,  for  God  is  Mighty  and 
Wise  ! 

God  promised  you  many  spoils  to  take,  and  sped 
this  for  you  ;  (and  He  held  back  men's  hands 
from  you,  that  it  might  be  a  sign  to  the 
faithful,  and  that  He  might  guide  you  on  the 
straight  way  ;) 

And  other  spoils  which  ye  could  not  take  :  but 
now  hath  God  compassed  it,  for  God  is  power- 
ful over  all. 

If  the  unbelievers  had  fought  against  you,  they 
would  assuredly  have  turned  their  backs  ; 
then  would  they  have  met  with  no  protector 
or  helper. 

This  is  God's  way  which  prevailed  before  :  and 
no  changing  wilt  thou  find  in  God's  way. 

And  He  it  was  who  held  back  their  hands  from 


128  MEDINA    SPEECHES. 

you,  and  your  hands  from  them,  in  the 
valley  of  Mekka,  after  that  He  had  given  you 
the  victory  over  them  ;  for  God  ever  seeth 
what  ye  do. 

These  are  they  who  believed  not,  and  kept  you 
away  from  the  Sacred  Mosque,  as  well  as  the 
offering,  which  was  prevented  from  reaching 
its  destination.  And  but  for  the  faithful 
men  and  women,  whom  ye  did  not  know 
and  might  have  trampled,  so  that  guilt  might 
have  lighted  on  you  on  their  account  with- 
out your  knowledge,  that  God  might  bring 
whom  He  pleased  into  His  mercy ;  had  they 
been  separate,  we  had  surely  punished  the 
unbelievers  among  them  with  a  grievous 
torment. 

When  the  unbelievers  had  put  disdain  in  their 
hearts, — -the  disdain  of  ignorance, — God  sent 
down  His  tranquillity  on  His  Apostle  and 
the  faithful,  and  fixed  firmly  in  them  the 
word  of  piety,  for  they  were  most  worthy  and 
fit  for  it,  and  God  well  knoweth  all  things. 

Now  hath  God  spoken  truth  to  His  Apostle  in  the 
night  vision  :  "  Ye  shall  surely  enter  the 
Sacred  Mosque,  if  God  please,  safe,  with 
shaven  heads,  or  hair  cut ;  ye  shall  not  fear, 
for  He  knoweth  what  ye  do  not  know  ;  and 


THE   VICTORY.  129 

He  hath  ordained  you,  besides  that,  a  victory 
near  at  hand." 
It  is  He  who  hath  sent  his  Apostle  with  the 
guidance  and  the  religion  of  truth,  to  make 
it  triumph  over  every  religion  ;  and  God  is 
witness  enough  ! 

Mohammad  is  the  Apostle  of  God,  and  those  of 
his  party  are  vehement  against  the  infidels, 
but  compassionate  to  one  another.  Thou 
mayest  see  them  bowing  down,  worshipping, 
seeking  grace  from  God,  and  His  approval ; 
their  tokens  are  on  their  faces — the  traces  of 
their  prostrations.  This  is  their  likeness  in 
the  Torah,  and  their  likeness  in  the  Gospel, 
like  a  seed  which  putteth  forth  its  stalk,  and 
strengtheneth  it,  and  it  groweth  stout,  and 
standeth  up  upon  its  stem,  rejoicing  the 
sowers  —  to  anger  unbelievers  thereby.  To 
those  among  them  who  believe,  and  do  the 
things  that  are  right,  God  hath  promised 
forgiveness  and  a  mighty  reward. 

(xlviii.) 


K 


I30  MEDINA   SPEECHES. 


HELP. 

In  the  Name  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the  Mercifnl. 

When  the  Help  of  God  and  victory  come, 

And  thou  seest  the  people  entering  the  religion  of 

God  in  troops  ; 
Then  magnify  the  praises  of  thy  Lord,  and  seek 

forgiveness    of    Him ;    verily    He    is    ever 

relenting. 

(ex.) 


THE   LAW 
GIVEN   AT   MEDINA 


RELIGIOUS    LAW. 

It  is  not  righteousness  that  ye  turn  your  face 
towards  the  east  or  the  west,  but  righteousness  is 
[in]  him  who  believeth  in  God  and  the  Last  Day, 
and  the  Angels,  and  the  Scripture,  and  the 
Prophets,  and  who  giveth  weahh  for  the  love  of 
God  to  his  kinsfolk  and  to  orphans  and  the 
needy  and  the  son  of  the  road  and  them  that 
ask  and  for  the  freeing  of  slaves,  and  who  is 
instant  in  prayer,  and  giveth  the  alms  ;  and  those 
who  fulfil  their  covenant  when  they  covenant,  and 
the  patient  in  adversity  and  affliction  and  in  time 
of  violence,  these  are  they  who  are  true,  and  these 
are  they  who  fear  God. — ii.  172. 

Say :  We  believe  in  God,  and  v/hat  hath  been 
sent  down  to  thee,  and  what  was  sent  down  to 
Abraham,  and  Ishmael,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  and 
the  tribes,  and  what  was  given  to  Moses,  and  to 
Jesus,  and  the  prophets  from  their  Lord, —  we 
make  no  distinction  between  any  of  them, — and 
to  Him  are  we  resigned :  and  whoso  desireth 
other  than  Resignation  [Islam]  for  a  religion,  it 
shall  certainly  not  be  accepted  from  him,  and  in 
the  life  to  come  he  shall  be  among  the  losers, 
— iii.  78,  79. 


134        THE   LAW   GIVEN    AT   MEDINA. 

Observe  the  prayers,  and  the  middle  prayer, 
and  stand  instant  before  God.  And  if  ye  fear, 
then  afoot  or  mounted ;  but  when  ye  are  safe 
remember  God,  how  he  taught  you  what  ye  did  not 
know. — ii.  239,  240. 

When  the  call  to  prayer  soundeth  on  the  Day 
of  Congregation  (Friday),  then  hasten  to  remem- 
ber God,  and  abandon  business  ;  that  is  better  for 
you  if  ye  only  knew:  and  when  prayer  is  done, 
disperse  in  the  land  and  seek  of  the  bounty  of 
God. — Ixii.  9,  10. 

Turn  thy  face  towards  the  Sacred  Mosque; 
wherever  ye  be,  turn  your  faces  thitherwards. — 
ii.  139. 

Give  alms  on  the  path  of  God,  and  let  not 
your  hands  cast  you  into  destruction  ;  but  do  good, 
for  God  loveth  those  who  do  good ;  and  accom- 
plish the  pilgrimage  and  the  visit  to  God  :  but  if 
ye  be  besieged,  then  [send]  what  is  easiest  as  an 
offering. — ii.  191. 

They  will  ask  thee  what  it  is  they  must  give  in 
alms.  Say  :  Let  what  good  ye  give  be  for  parents, 
and  kinsfolk,  and  the  orphan,  and  the  needy,  and 
the  son  of  the  road  ;  and  what  good  ye  do,  verily 
God  knoweth  it. — ii.  211. 

They  will  ask  thee  what  they  shall  expend  in 
alms  ;  say,  The  surplus. — ii.  2 1 6. 


RELIGIOUS    LAW.  135 

If  ye  give  alms  openly,  it  is  well ;  but  if  ye  con- 
ceal it,  and  give  it  to  the  poor,  it  is  better  for  you, 
and  will  take  away  from  you  some  of  your  sins  : 
and  God  knoweth  what  ye  do. — ii.  273. 

O  ye  who  believe,  make  not  your  alms  of  no 
effect  by  taunts  and  vexation,  like  him  who  spendeth 
what  he  hath  to  be  seen  of  men,  and  believeth  not 
in  God  and  the  Last  Day :  for  his  likeness  is  as 
the  likeness  of  a  stone  with  earth  upon  it,  and  a 
heavy  rain  falleth  upon  it  and  leaveth  it  bare  ; 
they  accomplish  nothing  with  what  they  earn,  for 
God  guideth  not  the  people  that  disbelieve.  And 
the  likeness  of  those  who  expend  their  wealth  for 
the  sake  of  pleasing  God  and  for  the  certainty  of 
their  souls  is  as  the  likeness  of  a  garden  on  a  hill : 
a  heavy  rain  falleth  on  it  and  it  bringeth  forth  its 
fruit  twofold ;  and  if  no  heavy  rain  falleth  on  it, 
then  the  dew  falleth ;  and  God  seeth  what  ye  do. 
— ii.  266,  267. 

Kind  speech  and  forgiveness  is  better  than 
alms  which  vexation  followeth  ;  and  God  is  rich 
and  ruthful. — ii.  265. 

O  ye  who  believe,  there  is  prescribed  for  you 
the  fast  as  it  was  prescribed  for  those  before  you ; 
maybe  ye  will  fear  God  for  a  certain  number  of 
days,  but  he  amongst  you  who  is  sick  or  on  a 


136        THE    LAW    GIVEN    AT    MEDINA. 

journey  may  fast  a  [like]  number  of  other  days. 
And  for  those  who  are  able  to  fast  [and  do  not], 
the  expiation  is  feeding  a  poor  man  ;  but  he  who 
voluntarily  doeth  a  good  act,  it  is  better  for 
him  ;  and  to  fast  is  better  for  you,  if  ye  only  knew. 
The  month  of  Ramadan,  wherein  the  Koran  was 
sent  down  for  guidance  to  men,  and  for  proofs  of 
the  guidance,  and  the  distinguishing  [of  good  and 
evil]  ;  whoso  amongst  you  seeth  this  month,  let 
him  fast  it ;  but  he  who  is  sick  or  on  a  journey,  a 
[like]  number  of  other  days  : — God  wisheth  for 
you  what  is  easy,  and  wisheth  not  for  you  what  is 
difficult — that  ye  may  fulfil  the  number,  and  mag- 
nify God,  in  that  He  hath  guided  you  ; — and  maybe 
ye  will  be  thankful. — ii.  1 79-1 81. 

Proclaim  among  the  people  a  Pilgrimage  :  let 
them  come  to  thee  on  foot  and  on  every  fleet  camel, 
coming  by  every  deep  pass,  to  be  present  at  its 
benefits  to  them,  and  to  make  mention  of  God's 
name  at  the  appointed  days  over  the  beasts  with 
which  He  hath  provided  them  :  then  eat  thereof, 
and  feed  the  poor  and  needy ;  then  let  them  end 
the  neglect  of  their  persons,  and  pay  their  vows, 
and  make  the  circuit  of  the  ancient  House. — 
xxii.  28-30. 

He  only  shall  visit  the  Mosques  of  God  who 
believeth  in  God  and  the  Last  Day,  and  is  instant 


RELIGIOUS    LAW.  137 

in  prayer,  and  payeth  the  alms,  and  feareth  God 
only. — ix.  i8. 

Do  ye  place  the  giving  drink  to  the  pilgrims, 
and  the  visiting  of  the  Sacred  Mosque,  on  the  same 
level  with  him  who  believeth  in  God  and  the  Last 
Day,  and  fighteth  on  the  path  of  God  ?  They  are 
not  equal  in  the  sight  of  God.— ix.  19. 

Fight  in  the  path  of  God  with  those  who  fight 
with  you;  —  but  exceed  not;  verily  God  loveth 
not  those  who  exceed. — And  kill  them  wheresoever 
ye  find  them,  and  thrust  them  out  from  whence 
they  thrust  you  out ;  for  dissent  is  worse  than 
slaughter ;  but  fight  them  not  at  the  Sacred 
Mosque,  unless  they  fight  you  there  :  but  if  they 
tight  you,  then  kill  them  :  such  is  the  reward 
of  the  infidels  !  But  if  they  desist,  then  verily 
God  is  forgiving  and  merciful. — But  fight  them  till 
there  be  no  dissent,  and  the  worship  be  only  to 
God  ; — but,  if  they  desist,  then  let  there  be  no 
hostility  save  against  the  transgressors. — ii.  1 86- 1 89. 

They  will  ask  thee  of  the  sacred  month,  and 
fighting  therein  ;  say,  Fighting  therein  is  a  great 
sin  ;  but  turning  people  away  from  God's  path,  and 
disbelief  in  Him  and  in  the  Sacred  Mosque,  and 
turning  His  people  out  therefrom,  is  a  greater  in 
God's  sight,  and  dissent  is  a  greater  sin  than 
slaughter. — ii.  214. 


138        THE    LAW   GIVEN    AT   MEDINA. 

Forbidden  to  you  is  that  which  dieth  of  itself, 
and  blood,  and  the  flesh  of  swine,  and  that  which 
is  dedicated  to  other  than  God,  and  what  is 
strangled,  and  what  is  killed  by  a  blow,  or  by 
falling,  and  what  is  gored,  and  what  wild  beasts 
have  preyed  on — except  what  ye  kill  in  time — and 
what  is  sacrificed  to  idols  ;  and  to  divide  by  [the 
divination  of]  arrows,  that  is  transgression  in  you. 
— V.  4. 

Make  not  God  the  butt  of  your  oaths,  that  ye 
will  be  pious  and  fear  God,  and  make  peace 
among  men,  for  God  heareth  and  knoweth. — 
ii.  224. 

O  ye  who  believe,  verily  wine  and  gambling 
and  statues  and  divining  arrows  are  only  an 
abomination  of  the  devil's  making :  avoid  them 
then  ;  haply  ye  may  prosper. — v.  92. 


139 


CIVIL    AND    CRIMINAL    LAW. 

It  is  not  for  a  believer  to  kill  a  believer,  but  by 
mistake  ;  and  whoso  killeth  a  believer  by  mistake 
must  free  a  believing  slave ;  and  the  blood-wit 
must  be  paid  to  his  family,  unless  they  remit 
it  in  alms ;  but  if  he  be  of  a  people  hostile 
to  you,  and  yet  a  believer,  then  let  him  only 
free  a  believing  slave,  and  if  it  be  a  tribe  between 
whom  and  you  there  is  an  alliance,  then  let 
the  blood -wit  be  paid  to  his  family,  and  let 
him  free  a  believing  slave ;  but  if  he  cannot  find 
the  means,  then  let  him  fast  for  two  consecutive 
months  —  a  penance  from  God:  for  God  is  all- 
knowing  and  wise.  And  whoso  killeth  a  believer 
on  purpose,  his  reward  is  Hell,  to  abide  therein  for 
ever,  and  God  will  be  wroth  with  him,  and  curse 
him,  and  prepare  for  him  a  mighty  torment. — 
iv.  94,  95. 

O  ye  who  believe !  Retaliation  is  prescribed 
for  you  for  the  slain  :  the  free  for  the  free,  the 
slave  for  the  slave,  the  woman  for  the  woman, 
yet  for  him  who  is  remitted  aught  by  his  brother, 
shall  be  prosecution  in  reason,  and  payment  in 
generosity. — ii,  173. 


I40        THE    LAW    GIVEN    AT    MEDINA. 

He  who  slayeth  a  soul,  unless  it  be  for  another 
soul,  or  for  wickedness  in  the  land,  is  as  though 
he  had  slain  all  mankind  ;  and  he  who  saveth  a 
soul  alive  is  as  though  he  had  saved  the  lives  of 
all  mankind, — v.  35. 

The  reward  of  those  who  war  against  God  rnd 
His  apostle,  and  work  evil  in  the  earth,  is  but 
that  they  shall  be  killed  or  crucified,  or  that  their 
hands  and  feet  shall  be  cut  off  alternately,  or  that 
they  shall  be  banished  from  the  land — that  is  their 
disgrace  in  this  world,  and  in  the  next  they  shall 
have  a  mighty  torment. — v.  '^i'j . 

The  man  thief  and  the  woman  thief,  cut  off  the 
hands  of  both  in  requital  for  what  they  have  done  ; 
an  example  from  God,  for  God  is  mighty  and 
wise. — V.  42. 

They  who  devour  usury  shall  not  rise  again, 
save  as  he  riseth  whom  the  Devil  hath  smitten 
with  his  touch  ;  that  is  because  they  say,  "  Selling 
is  only  like  usury  :"  but  God  hath  allowed  selling, 
and  forbidden  usury. — ii.  276. 

If  ye  fear  that  ye  cannot  do  justice  between 
orphans,  then  marry  such  women  as  are  law^ful  to 
you,  by  twos  or  threes  or  fours  ;  and  if  ye  fear  ye 
cannot  be  equitable,  then  only  one,  or  what  [slaves] 
your  right  hands  possess  :  that  is  the  chief  thing — 
that  ye  be  not  unfair. — iv.  3. 


CIVIL  AND  CRIMINAL  LAW.  141 

Marry  those  of  you  who  are  single,  and  the  good 
among  your  servants,  and  your  handmaidens.  If 
they  be  poor,  God  of  his  bounty  will  enrich  them, 
and  God  is  liberal,  wise.  And  let  those  who 
cannot  find  a  match,  live  in  chastity,  till  God  of 
His  bounty  shall  enrich  them. — xxiv.  32. 

Wed  not  idolatrous  women  until  they  believe, 
for  surely  a  believing  handmaiden  is  better  than 
an  idolatress,  although  she  captivate  you.  And 
wed  not  idolaters  until  they  believe,  for  a  believing 
slave  is  better  than  an  idolater,  although  he  charm 
you. — ii.  220. 

Divorce  may  be  twice  :  then  take  them  in 
reason  or  let  them  go  with  kindness.  It  is  not 
lawful  for  you  to  take  from  them  aught  of  what 
ye  have  given  them,  unless  both  fear  that  they 
cannot  keep  God's  bounds.  But  if  he  divorce  her 
[a  third  time],  she  is  not  lawful  to  him  afterwards, 
until  she  marry  another  husband  ;  but  if  he  also 
divorce  her,  it  is  no  crime  in  them  both  to  come 
together  again. — ii.  229,  230. 

And  for  the  divorced  there  should  be  a  main- 
tenance in  reason,  a  duty  this  on  those  who  fear 
God. — ii.  242. 

Against  those  of  your  women  who  commit 
adultery,  summon  witnesses  four  in  number  from 
among  you  ;  and   if  these   bear   witness    [to   the 


142        THE    LAW    GIVEN    AT    MEDINA. 

crime],  then  keep  the  women  in  houses  till  death 
release  them,  or  God  make  a  way  for  them. — iv.  1 9. 

They  who  slander  chaste  women,  and  bring 
not  four  witnesses,  scourge  them  with  fourscore 
stripes,  and  receive  not  their  testimony  for  ever, 
for  these  are  the  transgressors  : — save  those  who 
afterwards  repent  and  do  what  is  right — for  God 
is  forgiving,  merciful. — xxiv.  4. 

It  is  prescribed  for  you  that,  when  one  of  you 
is  at  the  point  of  death,  if  he  leave  property,  the 
legacy  is  to  his  parents  and  to  his  kindred  in 
reason  —  a  duty  upon  those  that  fear  God. — 
ii.  176. 

God  ordereth  you  concerning  your  children  : 
for  a  male,  the  equal  of  the  portion  of  two  females, 
and  if  there  be  more  than  two  women,  let  them 
have  two-thirds  of  what  [the  deceased]  hath  left ; 
and  if  there  be  only  one,  then  let  her  have  the 
half;  and  for  the  parents,  for  each  of  them  a  sixth 
of  what  he  hath  left,  if  he  hath  issue  ;  but  if  he 
hath  no  issue,  and  his  parents  inherit,  then  let  his 
mother  have  a  third ;  and  if  he  hath  brethren,  let 
his  mother  have  a  sixth,  after  payment  of  any 
bequest  he  may  have  bequeathed,  or  debts.  Your 
parents  and  your  children,  ye  know  not  which  is 
the  more  helpful  to  you.  An  ordinance  from  God  : 
verily  God  is  all-knowing  and  wise  !     And  yours 


CIVIL  AND  CRIMINAL  LAW.  143 

is  half  of  what  your  wives  leave,  if  they  have  no 
issue ;  but  if  they  have  issue,  then  ye  shall  have 
a  fourth  of  what  they  leave,  after  payment  of  any 
bequests  they  may  bequeath,  or  their  debts  ;  and 
they  shall  have  a  fourth  of  what  ye  leave,  if  ye 
have  no  issue ;  but  if  ye  have  issue,  then  let 
them  have  an  eighth  of  what  ye  leave,  after  pay- 
ing of  any  bequest  ye  may  bequeath,  or  debts. 
And  if  the  man's  or  the  woman's  heir  be  a  collateral 
kinsman,  and  he  (or  she)  have  a  brother  or  a 
sister,  then  let  each  of  these  two  have  a  sixth  ; 
but  if  they  are  more  than  that,  let  them  share 
a  third,  after  payment  of  any  bequests  he  may 
bequeath,  or  debts,  without  prejudice ;  an  ordinance 
from  God,  and  God  is  wise  and  clement  1 

These  are  God's  statutes,  and  whoso  obeyeth 
God  and  the  Apostle,  He  will  bring  him  into 
gardens,  whereunder  rivers  flow,  to  abide  therein 
for  aye,  —  that  is  the  great  prize  !  But  whoso 
rebelleth  against  God  and  his  Apostle,  and  trans- 
gresseth  His  statutes,  He  will  bring  him  into  fire, 
to  dwell  therein  for  aye ;  and  his  shall  be  a 
shameful  torment. — iv.  12-18. 

Those  of  you  who  die  and  leave  wives,  should 
leave  their  wives  maintenance  for  a  year,  without 
driving  them  out  [from  their  homes]  :  but  if  they 
go  out,  there  is  no  crime  in  you  for  what  they  do 


144        THE    LAW    GIVEN    AT    MEDINA. 

for  themselves  in  reason  ;  and  God  is  mighty  and 
wise. — ii.  241. 

If  a  man  perish  and  leave  no  issue,  but  leave  a 
sister,  then  hers  is  half  of  what  he  leaves,  and  he 
shall  be  her  heir,  if  she  have  no  issue  ;  but  if  there 
be  two  sisters,  let  them  have  two -thirds  of  what 
he  leaves,  and  if  there  be  brethren,  both  men  and 
women,  let  the  male  have  the  equal  of  the  portion 
of  two  females,  God  maketh  this  plain  to  you, 
lest  ye  err  ;  and  God  knoweth  all  things. — iv.  176. 

O  ye  who  believe  !  stand  fast  by  justice,  bear- 
ing witness  before  God,  though  it  be  against 
yourselves,  or  your  parents,  or  your  kindred, 
whether  it  be  rich  or  poor  ;  for  God  is  worthier 
than  they. — iv.  134. 

To  those  of  your  slaves  who  desire  a  deed  [for 
buying  their  freedom],  write  it  for  them,  if  ye  know 
good  in  them,  and  give  them  a  portion  of  the 
wealth  of  God  which  He  hath  given  you. — xxiv.  33. 

If  any  of  the  idolaters  seek  refuge  with  thee, 
grant  him  refuge,  that  he  may  hear  the  word  of  God ; 
then  let  him  reach  his  place  in  safety. — ix.  6. 

God  wisheth  to  make  it  light  for  you,  for  man 
was  created  weak, — iv.  32. 

If  ye  shun  great  sins  which  ye  are  forbidden, 
we  will  cover  your  offences,  and  make  you  enter 
Paradise  with  a  noble  entrance. — iv.  35. 


THE 

TABLE-TALK 

OF 

MOHAMMAD 


147 


THE  TABLE-TALK  OF  MOHAMMAD. 

When  God  created  the  creation  He  wrote  a  book, 
which  is  near  him  upon  the  sovran  Throne ;  and 
what  is  written  in  it  is  this  :  Verily  7ny  compassion 
overconieth  viy  wrath. 

Say  not,  if  people  do  good  to  us,  we  will  do 
good  to  them,  and  if  people  oppress  us,  we  will 
oppress  them  :  but  resolve  that  if  people  do  good 
to  you,  you  will  do  good  to  them,  and  if  they 
oppress  you,  oppress  them  not  again. 

God  saith  :  Whoso  doth  one  good  act,  for  him 
are  ten  rewards,  and  I  also  give  more  to  whomso- 
ever I  will ;  and  whoso  doth  ill,  its  retaliation  is 
equal  to  it,  or  else  I  forgive  him  ;  and  he  who 
seeketh  to  approach  me  one  cubit,  I  will  seek 
to  approach  him  two  fathoms  ;  and  he  who  walk- 
eth  towards  me,  I  will  run  towards  him ;  and  he 
who  Cometh  before  me  with  the  earth  full  of  sins, 
but  joineth  no  Partner  to  me,  I  will  come  before 
him  with  an  equal  front  of  forgiveness. 


148     THE   TABLE-TALK   OF    MOHAMMAD. 

There  are  seven  people  whom  God  will  draw 
under  His  own  shadow,  on  that  Day  when  there 
will  be  no  other  shadow  :  one  a  just  king  ;  another, 
who  hath  employed  himself  in  devotion  from  his 
youth ;  the  third,  who  fixeth  his  heart  on  the 
Mosque  till  he  return  to  it ;  the  fourth,  two  men 
whose  friendship  is  to  please  God,  whether  to- 
gether or  separate  ;  the  fifth,  a  man  who  remem- 
bereth  God  when  he  is  alone,  and  weepeth  ;  the 
sixth,  a  man  who  is  tempted  by  a  rich  and 
beautiful  woman,  and  saith.  Verily  I  fear  God  ! 
the  seventh,  a  man  who  hath  given  alms  and 
concealed  it,  so  that  his  left  hand  knoweth  not 
what  his  right  hand  doeth. 

The  most  excellent  of  all  actions  is  to  befriend 
any  one  on  God's  account,  and  to  be  at  enmity 
with  whosoever  is  the  enemy  of  God. 

Verily  ye  are  in  an  age  in  which  if  ye  abandon 
one -tenth  of  what  is  ordered,  ye  will  be  ruined. 
After  this  a  time  will  come  when  he  who  shall 
observe  one -tenth  of  what  is  now  ordered  will  be 
redeemed. 


THE   TABLE-TALK    OF   MOHAMMAD.      149 


Concer7iing  Prayer. 

Angels  come  amongst  you  both  night  and  day  ; 
then  those  of  the  night  ascend  to  heaven,  and  God 
asketh  them  how  they  left  His  creatures  :  they 
say,  We  left  them  at  prayer,  and  we  found  them 
at  prayer. 

The  rewards  for  the  prayers  which  are  per- 
formed by  people  assembled  together  are  double 
of  those  which  are  said  at  home. 

Ye  must  not  say  your  prayers  at  the  rising  or 
the  setting  of  the  sun  :  so  when  a  limb  of  the  sun 
appeareth,  leave  your  prayers  until  her  whole  orb 
is  up  :  and  when  the  sun  beginneth  to  set,  quit 
your  prayers  until  the  whole  orb  hath  disappeared  ; 
for,  verily  she  riseth  between  the  two  horns  of  the 
Devil. 

No  neglect  of  duty  is  imputable  during  sleep  ; 
for  neglect  can  only  take  place  when  one  is 
awake  :  therefore,  when  any  of  you  forget  your 
prayers,  say  them  when  ye  recollect. 


ISO     THE    TABLE-TALK    OF   MOHAMMAD. 

When  any  one  of  you  goeth  to  sleep,  the  Devil 
tieth  three  knots  upon  his  neck  ;  and  saith  over 
every  knot,  "  The  night  is  long,  sleep."  Therefore, 
if  a  servant  awake  and  remember  God,  it  openeth 
one  knot,  and  if  he  perform  the  ablution,  it  openeth 
another ;  and  if  he  say  prayers  it  openeth  the 
other ;  and  he  riseth  in  the  morning  in  gladness 
and  purity:  —  otherwise  he  riseth  in  a  lethargic 
state. 

When  a  Muslim  performeth  the  ablution,  it 
washeth  from  his  face  those  faults  which  he  may 
have  cast  his  eyes  upon  ;  and  when  he  washeth 
his  hands,  it  removeth  the  faults  they  may  have 
committed,  and  when  he  washeth  his  feet,  it  dis- 
pelleth  the  faults  towards  which  they  may  have 
carried  him  :  so  that  he  will  rise  up  in  purity  from 
the  place  of  ablution. 


THE   TABLE-TALK   OF   MOHAMMAD.      151 

Of  Charity. 

When  God  created  the  earth,  it  began  to  shake 
and  tremble ;  then  God  created  mountains,  and 
put  them  upon  the  earth,  and  the  land  became 
firm  and  fixed  ;  and  the  angels  were  astonished 
at  the  hardness  of  the  hills,  and  said,  "  O  God,  is 
there  anything  of  thy  creation  harder  than  hills?" 
and  God  said,  "  Yes,  water  is  harder  than  the  hills, 
because  it  breaketh  them  ?"  Then  the  angel  said, 
"  O  Lord,  is  there  anything  of  thy  creation  harder 
than  water?"  He  said,  "Yes,  wind  overcometh 
water:  it  doth  agitate  it  and  put  it  in  motion." 
They  said,  "  O  our  Lord  !  is  there  anything  of 
thy  creation  harder  than  wind?"  He  said,  "Yes, 
the  children  of  Adam  giving  alms  :  those  who  give 
with  their  right  hand,  and  conceal  from  their  left, 
overcome  all." 

The  liberal  man  is  near  the  pleasure  of  God 
and  is  near  Paradise,  which  he  shall  enter  into, 
and  is  near  the  hearts  of  men  as  a  friend,  and  he 
is  distant  from  hell ;  but  the  niggard  is  far  from 
God's  pleasure  and  from  paradise,  and  far  from 
the  hearts  of  men,  and  near  the  Fire  ;  and  verily 
a  liberal  ignorant  man  is  more  beloved  by  God 
than  a  niggardly  worshipper. 


152     THE   TABLE-TALK   OF   MOHAMMAD. 

A  man's  giving  in  alms  one  piece  of  silver  in 
his  lifetime  is  better  for  him  than  giving  one 
hundred  when  about  to  die. 

Think  not  that  any  good  act  is  contemptible, 
though  it  be  but  your  brother's  coming  to  you 
with  an  open  countenance  and  good  humour. 

There  is  alms  for  a  man's  every  joint,  every 
day  in  which  the  sun  riseth  ;  doing  justice  between 
two  people  is  alms  ;  and  assisting  a  man  upon  his 
beast,  and  his  baggage,  is  alms  ;  and  pure  words, 
for  which  are  rewards  ;  and  answering  a  questioner 
with  mildness  is  alms,  and  every  step  which  is 
made  toward  prayer  is  alms,  and  removing  that 
which  is  an  inconvenience  to  man,  such  as  stones 
and  thorns,  is  alms. 

The  people  of  the  Prophet's  house  killed  a  goat, 
and  the  Prophet  said,  "What  remaineth  of  it?" 
They  said,  "  Nothing  but  the  shoulder ;  for  they 
have  sent  the  whole  to  the  poor  and  neighbours, 
except  a  shoulder  which  remaineth."  The  Prophet 
said,  "  Nay,  it  is  the  whole  goat  that  remaineth 
except  its  shoulder :  that  remaineth  which  they 
have  given  away,  the  rewards  of  which  will  be 
eternal,  and  what  remaineth  in  the  house  is  fleeting." 

Feed  the  hungry,  visit  the  sick,  and  free  the 
captive  if  he  be  unjustly  bound. 


THE   TABLE-TALK   OF   MOHAMMAD.      153 


Of  Fasting. 

A  keeper  of  fasts,  who  doth  not  abandon 
lying  and  slandering,  God  careth  not  about  his 
leaving  off  eating  and  drinking. 

Keep  fast  and  eat  also,  stay  awake  at  night 
and  sleep  also,  because  verily  there  is  a  duty  on 
you  to  your  body,  not  to  labour  overmuch,  so 
that  ye  may  not  get  ill  and  destroy  yourselves  ; 
and  verily  there  is  a  duty  on  you  to  your  eyes, 
ye  must  sometimes  sleep  and  give  them  rest ; 
and  verily  there  is  a  duty  on  you  to  your  wife,  and 
to  your  visitors  and  guests  that  come  to  see  you ; 
ye  must  talk  to  them ;  and  nobody  hath  kept 
fast  who  fasted  always  ;  the  fast  of  three  days  in 
every  month  is  equal  to  constant  fasting  :  then 
keep  three  days'  fast  in  every  month. 


154     THE    TABLE-TALK    OF    MOHAMMAD. 


Of  Reading  the  Koran. 

The  state  of  a  Muslim  who  readeth  the  Koran 
is  like  the  orange  fruit,  whose  smell  and  taste  are 
pleasant ;  and  that  of  a  Muslim  who  doth  not 
read  the  Koran,  is  like  a  date  which  hath  no 
smell,  but  a  sweet  taste ;  and  the  condition  of 
any  hypocrite  who  doth  not  read  the  Koran 
is  like  the  colocynth  which  hath  no  smell,  but 
a  bitter  taste  ;  and  the  hypocrite  who  readeth  the 
Koran  is  like  the  sweet  bazil,  whose  smell  is 
sweet,  but  taste  bitter. 

Read  the  Koran  constantly ;  I  sware  by  Him 
in  the  hands  of  whose  might  is  my  life,  verily 
the  Koran  runneth  away  faster  than  a  camel  which 
is  not  tied  by  the  leg. 


THE   TABLE-TALK    OF   MOHAMMAD.      155 

Of  Labour  and  Profit. 

Verily  the  best  things  which  ye  eat  are  those 
which  ye  earn  yourselves  or  which  your  children 
earn. 

Verily  it  is  better  for  one  of  you  to  take  a  rope 
and  bring  a  bundle  of  wood  upon  his  back  and 
sell  it,  in  which  case  God  guardeth  his  honour,  than 
to  beg  of  people,  whether  they  give  him  or  not ;  if 
they  do  not  give  him,  his  reputation  suffereth  and 
he  returneth  disappointed  ;  and  if  they  give  him,  it 
is  worse  than  that,  for  it  layeth  him  under  obliga- 
tions. 

A  man  came  to  the  Prophet,  begging  of  him 
something,  and  the  Prophet  said,  "  Have  you 
nothing  at  home  ? "  He  said,  "  Yes,  there  is 
a  large  carpet,  with  one  part  of  which  I  cover 
myself,  and  spread  the  other,  and  there  is  a 
wooden  cup  in  which  I  drink  water."  Then  the 
Prophet  said,  "  Bring  me  the  carpet  and  the  cup," 
And  the  man  brought  them,  and  the  Prophet  took 
them  in  his  hand  and  said,  "  Who  will  buy 
them.?"  A  man  said,  "I  will  take  them  at  one 
silver  piece."  He  said,  "Who  will  give  more?" 
This  he  repeated   twice   or  thrice.      Another  man 


156     THE   TABLE-TALK   OF   MOHAMMAD. 

said,  "  I  will  take  them  for  two  pieces  of  silver." 
Then  the  Prophet  gave  the  carpet  and  cup  to  that 
man,  and  took  the  two  pieces  of  silver,  and  gave 
them  to  the  helper,  and  said,  "  Buy  food  with  one 
of  these  pieces,  and  give  it  to  your  family,  that  they 
may  make  it  their  sustenance  for  a  few  days  ;  and 
buy  a  hatchet  with  the  other  piece  and  bring  it  to 
me."  And  the  man  brought  it ;  and  the  Prophet 
put  a  handle  to  it  with  his  own  hands,  and  then 
said,  "  Go,  cut  wood,  and  sell  it,  and  let  me  not 
see  you  for  fifteen  days."  Then  the  man  went 
cutting  wood,  and  selling  it  ;  and  he  came  to  the 
Prophet,  when  verily  he  had  got  ten  pieces  of  silver, 
and  he  bought  a  garment  with  part  of  it,  and  food 
with  part.  Then  the  Prophet  said,  "  This  cutting 
and  selling  of  wood,  and  making  your  livelihood 
by  it,  is  better  for  you  than  coming  on  the  day  of 
resurrection  with  black  marks  on  your  face." 

Acts  of  begging  are  scratches  and  wounds  by 
which  a  man  woundeth  his  own  face  ;  then  he  who 
wisheth  to  guard  his  face  from  scratches  and 
wounds  must  not  beg,  unless  that  a  man  asketh 
from  his  prince,  or  in  an  affair  in  which  there  is 
no  remedy. 

The    Prophet    hath    cursed    ten    persons    on 


THE   TABLE-TALK   OF   MOHAMMAD.      157 

account  of  wine  :  one,  the  first  extractor  of  the 
juice  of  the  grape  for  others  ;  the  second  for  him- 
self ;  the  third  the  drinker  of  it ;  the  fourth  the 
bearer  of  it ;  the  fifth  the  person  to  whom  it  is 
brought ;  the  sixth  the  waiter ;  the  seventh  the 
seller  of  it ;  the  eighth  the  eater  of  its  price  ;  the 
ninth  the  buyer  of  it ;  the  tenth  that  person  who 
hath   purchased  it  for  another. 

Merchants  shall  be  raised  up  liars  on  the  Day 
of  Resurrection,  except  he  who  abstaineth  from  that 
which  is  unlawful,  and  doth  not  swear  falsely,  but 
speaketh  true  in  the  price  of  his  goods. 

The  taker  of  interest  and  the  giver  of  it,  and 
the  writer  of  its  papers  and  the  witness  to  it,  are 
equal  in  crime. 

The  holder  of  a  monopoly  is  a  sinner  and 
offender. 

The  bringers  of  grain  to  the  city  to  sell  at  a 
cheap  rate  gain  immense  advantage  by  it,  and  he 
who  keepeth  back  grain  in  order  to  sell  at  a  high 
rate  is  cursed. 

He  who  desireth  that  God  should  redeem  him 


158     THE   TABLE-TALK    OE   MOHAMMAD. 

from  the  sorrows  and  difficulties  of  the  Day  of 
Resurrection,  must  delay  in  calling  on  poor 
debtors,  or  forgive  the  debt  in  part  or  whole. 

A  martyr  shall   be   pardoned   every  fault   but 
debt. 


Whosoever  has  a  thing  with  which  to  discharge 
a  debt,  and  refuseth  to  do  it,  it  is  right  to  dishonour 
and  punish  him. 

A  bier  was  brought  to  the  Prophet,  to  say 
prayers  over  it.  He  said,  "  Hath  he  left  any  debts  ? " 
They  said,  "Yes."  He  said,  ''Hath  he  left  anything 
to  discharge  them?"  They  said,  "No."  The  Prophet 
said,  "  Say  ye  prayers  over  him,  I  shall  not." 

Give  the  labourer  his  wage  before  his  perspira- 
tion be  dry. 


THE   TABLE-TALK    OF    MOHAMMAD.      159 

Of  Fighting  for  tJie  Faith. 

We  came  out  with  the  Prophet,  with  a  part  of 
the  army,  and  a  man  passed  by  a  cavern  in  which 
was  water  and  verdure,  and  he  said  in  his  heart, 
"  I   shall   stay  here,  and  retire  from  the  world." 
Then  he  asked  the  Prophet's  permission  to  live  in 
the  cavern  ;  but  he  said,  "  Verily  I  have  not  been 
sent  on  the  Jewish  religion,  nor  the  Christian,  to 
quit  the  delights  of  society  ;  but  I  have  been  sent 
on  the  religion  inclining  to  truth,  and  that  which 
is   easy,  wherein   is  no   difficulty  or  austerity.      I 
swear  by   God,   in    whose  hand   is   my  life,   that 
marching  about  morning  and  evening  to  fight  for 
religion  is  better  than  the  world  and  everything 
that  is  in  it :  and  verily  the  standing  of  one  of  you 
in  the  line  of  battle  is  better  than  supererogatory 
prayers  performed  in  your  house  for  sixty  years. 

When  the  Prophet  sent  an  army  out  to  fight, 
he  would  say,  March  in  the  name  of  God  and 
by  His  aid  and  on  the  religion  of  the  Messenger 
of  God.  Kill  not  the  old  man  who  cannot  fight, 
nor  young  children  nor  women  ;  and  steal  not  the 
spoils  of  war,  but  put  your  spoils  together ;  and 
quarrel  not  amongst  yourselves,  but  be  good  to 
one  another,  for  God  loveth  the  doer  of  good. 


i6o     THE   TABLE-TALK   OF    MOHAMMAD. 


Of  Judgments . 

The  first  judgment  that  God  will  pass  on  man 
at  the  Day  of  Resurrection  will  be  for  murder. 

Whosoever  throweth  himself  from  the  top  of  a 

mountain  and  killeth  himself  is  in  Hell   Fire  for 

.ever  ;  and  whosoever  killeth  himself  with  iron,  his 

iron   shall  be  in  his  hand,  and   he   will   stab   his 

belly  with  it  in  Hell  Fire  everlastingly. 

No  judge  must  decide  between  two  persons 
whilst  he  is  angry. 

There  is  no  judge  who  hath  decided  between 
men,  whether  just  or  unjust,  but  will  come  to  God's 
court  on  the  Day  of  Resurrection  held  by  the  neck 
by  an  angel ;  and  the  angel  will  raise  his  head 
towards  the  heavens  and  wait  for  God's  orders  ; 
and  if  God  ordereth  to  throw  him  into  hell,  the  angel 
will  do  it  from  a  height  of  forty  years'  journey. 

Verily  there  will  come  on  a  just  judge  at  the 
Day  of  Resurrection  such  fear  and  horror,  that  he 
will  wish.  Would  to  God  that  I  had  not  decided 
between  two  persons  in  a  trial  for  a  single  date. 


THE   TABLE-TALK   OF    MOHAMMAD.     i6i 


Of  Women  and  Slaves. 

The  world  and  all  things  in  it  are  valuable,  but 
the  most  valuable  thing  in  the  world  is  a  virtuous 
woman. 

I  have  not  left  any  calamity  more  hurtful  tc 
man  than  woman. 

A  Muslim  cannot  obtain  (after  righteousness) 
anything  better  than  a  well-disposed,  beautiful 
wife  :  such  a  wife  as,  when  ordered  by  her  husband 
to  do  anything,  obeyeth ;  and  if  her  husband 
look  at  her,  is  happy ;  and  if  her  husband  swear 
by  her  to  do  a  thing,  she  doth  it  to  make  his  oath 
true  ;  and  if  he  be  absent  from  her,  she  wisheth  him 
well  in  her  own  person  by  guarding  herself  from 
inchastity,  and  taketh  care  of  his  property. 

Verily  the  best  of  women  are  those  who  are 
content  with  little. 

Admonish  your  wives  with  kindness  ;  for  women 
were  created  out  of  a  crooked  rib  of  Adam,  there- 
fore if  ye  wish  to  straighten  it,  ye  will  break  it ; 
and  if  ye  let  it  alone,  it  will  be  always  crooked. 

M 


1 62     THE   TABLE-TALK    OF    MOHAMMAD. 

Every  woman  who  dieth,  and  her  husband  is 
pleased  with  her,  shall  enter  into  paradise. 

That  which  is  lawful  but  disliked  by  God  is 
divorce. 

A  woman  may  be  married  by  four  qualifications  : 
one,  on  account  of  her  money  ;  another,  on  account 
of  the  nobility  of  her  pedigree  ;  another,  on  account 
of  her  beauty  ;  a  fourth,  on  account  of  her  faith  ; 
therefore  look  out  for  religious  women,  but  if  ye 
do  it  from  any  other  consideration,  may  your 
hands  be  rubbed  in  dirt. 

A  widow  shall  not  be  married  until  she  be 
consulted  ;  nor  shall  a  virgin  be  married  until  her 
consent  be  asked,  whose  consent  is  by  her  silence. 

When  the  Prophet  was  informed  that  the  people 
of  Persia  had  made  the  daughter  of  Chosroes 
their  Queen,  he  said.  The  tribe  that  constitutes  a 
woman  its  ruler  will  not  find  redemption. 

Do  not  prevent  your  women  from  coming  to 
the  mosque  ;  but  their  homes  are  better  for  them. 


THE   TABLE-TALK   OF   MOHAMMAD.     163 

O  assembly  of  women,  give  alms,  although  it 
be  of  your  gold  and  silver  ornaments  ;  for  verily 
ye  are  mostly  of  Hell  on  the  Day  of  Resurrection. 

When  ye  return  from  a  journey  and  enter  your 
town  at  night,  go  not  to  your  houses,  so  that  your 
wives  may  have  time  to  comb  their  dishevelled 
hair. 

God  has  ordained  that  your  brothers  should  be 
your  slaves  :  therefore  him  whom  God  hath  or- 
dained to  be  the  slave  of  his  brother,  his  brother 
must  give  him  of  the  food  which  he  eateth  himself, 
and  of  the  clothes  wherewith  he  clotheth  himself, 
and  not  order  him  to  do  anything  beyond  his 
power,  and  if  he  doth  order  such  a  work,  he  must 
himself  assist  him  in  doing  it. 

He  who  beateth  his  slave  without  fault,  or  slap- 
peth  him  in  the  face,  his  atonement  for  this  is 
freeing  him. 

A  man  who  behaveth  ill  to  his  slave  will  not 
enter  into  paradise. 

Forgive  thy  servant  seventy  times  a  day. 


1 64     THE   TABLE-TALK   OF   MOHAMMAD. 

Of  Dumb  Animals. 

Fear  God  in  respect  of  animals  :  ride  them 
when  they  are  fit  to  be  ridden,  and  get  off  when 
they  are  tired. 

A  man  came  before  the  Prophet  with  a  carpet, 
and  said,  "  O  Prophet !  I  passed  through  a  wood, 
and  heard  the  voices  of  the  young  of  birds  ;  and  I 
took  and  put  them  into  my  carpet  ;  and  their 
mother  came  fluttering  round  my  head,  and  I 
uncovered  the  young,  and  the  mother  fell  down 
upon  them,  then  I  wrapped  them  up  in  my  carpet  ; 
and  there  are  the  young  which  I  have."  Then  the 
Prophet  said,  "  Put  them  down."  And  when  he 
did  so,  their  mother  joined  them  :  and  the  Prophet 
said,  "  Do  you  wonder  at  the  affection  of  the 
mother  towards  her  young .?  I  swear  by  Him  who 
hath  sent  me,  verily  God  is  more  loving  to  His 
servants  than  the  mother  to  these  young  birds. 
Return  them  to  the  place  from  which  ye  took 
them,  and  let  their  mother  be  with  them." 

Verily  there  are  rewards  for  our  doing  good  to 
dumb  animals,  and  giving  them  water  to  drink.  An 
adulteress  was  forgiven  who  passed  by  a  dog  at 
a  well ;  for  the  dog  was  holding  out  his  tongue 
from  thirst,  which  was  near  killing  him  ;  and  the 
woman  took  off  her  boot,  and  tied  it  to  the  end  of 
her  garment,  and  drew  water  for  the  dog,  and  gave 
him  to  drink  ;  and  she  was  forgiven  for  that  act. 


THE    TABLE-TALK   OF   MOHAMMAD.      165 


Of  Hospitality. 

When  a  man  cometh  into  his  house  and  remem- 
bereth  God  and  repeateth  His  name  at  eating  his 
meals,  the  Devil  saith  to  his  followers,  "  Here  is  no 
place  for  you  to  stay  in  to-night,  nor  is  there  any 
supper  for  you."  And  when  a  man  cometh  into 
his  house  without  remembering  God's  name,  the 
Devil  saith  to  his  followers,  "  You  have  got  a  place 
to  spend  the  night  in." 

Whosoever  believeth  in  God  and  the  Day  of 
Resurrection  must  respect  his  guest,  and  the  time 
of  being  kind  to  him  is  one  day  and  one  night,  and 
the  period  of  entertaining  him  is  three  days,  and 
after  that,  if  he  doth  it  longer,  he  benefiteth  him 
more.  It  is  not  right  for  a  guest  to  stay  in  the 
house  of  the  host  so  long  as  to  inconvenience  him. 

I  heard  this,  that  God  is  pure,  and  loveth 
purity  ;  and  God  is  liberal,  and  loveth  liberality  ; 
God  is  munificent,  and  loveth  munificence  :  then 
keep  the  courts  of  your  house  clean,  and  do  not 
be  like  Jews  who  do  not  clean  the  courts  of  their 
houses. 


1 66     THE   TABLE-TALK    OF    MOHAMMAD. 


Of  Government. 

Government  is  a  trust  from  God,  and  verily 
government  will  be  at  the  Day  of  Resurrection  a 
cause  of  inquiry,  unless  he  who  hath  taken  it  be 
worthy  of  it  and  have  acted  justly  and  done  good. 

Verily  a  king  is  God's  shadow  upon  the 
earth  ;  and  every  one  oppressed  turneth  to  him  : 
then  when  the  king  doeth  justice,  for  him  are 
rewards  and  gratitude  from  his  subject :  but,  if 
the  king  oppresseth,  on  him  is  his  sin,  and  for 
the  oppressed  resignation. 

That  is  the  best  of  men  who  disliketh  power. 
Beware  !  ye  are  all  guardians ;  and  ye  will  be 
asked  about  your  subjects  :  then  the  leader  is  the 
guardian  of  the  subject,  and  he  will  be  asked 
respecting  the  subject  ;  and  a  man  is  a  shepherd 
to  his  own  family,  and  will  be  asked  how  they 
behaved,  and  his  conduct  to  them  ;  and  a  wife  is 
guardian  to  her  husband's  house  and  children,  and 
will  be  interrogated  about  them  ;  and  a  slave  is  a 
shepherd  to  his  master's  property,  and  will  be 
asked  about  it,  whether  he  took  good  care  of  it 
or  not. 


THE    TABLE-TALK    OF    MOHAMMAD.     167 

There  is  no  prince  who  oppresseth  the  subject 
and  dieth,  but  God  forbiddeth  Paradise  to  him. 

If  a  negro  slave  is  appointed  to  rule  over  you, 
hear  him,  and  obey  him,  though  his  head  should 
be  like  a  dried  grape. 

There  is  no  obedience  due  to  sinful  commands, 
nor  to  any  other  than  what  is  lawful. 

O  Prophet  of  God,  if  we  have  princes  over  us, 
wanting  our  rights,  and  withholding  our  rights 
from  us,  then  what  do  you  order  us  ?  He  said, 
"  Ye  must  hear  them  and  obey  their  orders  :  it 
is  on  them  to  be  just  and  good,  and  on  you  to  be 
obedient  and  submissive." 

He  is  not  strong  or  powerful  who  throws 
people  down,  but  he  is  strong  who  withholds  him- 
self from  anger. 

When  one  of  you  getteth  angry,  he  must  sit 
down,  and  if  his  anger  goeth  away  from  sitting,  so 
much  the  better  ;  if  not,  let  him  lie  down. 


1 68     THE    TABLE-TALK    OF    MOHAMMAD. 

Of  Va7uties  a?id  Sundry  Matters. 

The  angels  are  not  with  the  company  with 
which  is  a  dog  nor  with  the  company  with 
which  is  a  bell. 

A  bell  is  the  Devil's  musical  instrument. 

The  angels  do  not  enter  a  house  in  which  is  a 
dog,  nor  that  in  which  there  are  pictures. 

Every  painter  is  in  Hell  Fire  ;  and  God  will 
appoint  a  person  at  the  Day  of  Resurrection  for 
every  picture  he  shall  have  drawn,  to  punish  him, 
and  they  will  punish  him  in  Hell.  Then  if  you 
must  make  pictures,  make  them  of  trees  and 
things  without  souls. 

Whosoever  shall  tell  a  dream,  not  having 
dreamt,  shall  be  put  to  the  trouble  at  the  Day  of 
Resurrection  of  joining  two  barleycorns  ;  and  he 
can  by  no  means  do  it ;  and  he  will  be  punished. 
And  whosoever  listeneth  to  others'  conversation, 
who  dislike  to  be  heard  by  him,  and  avoid  him,  boil- 
ing lead  will  be  poured  into  his  ears  at  the  Day  of 
Resurrection^  And  whosoever  draweth  a  picture 
shall  be  punished  by  ordering  him  to  breathe  a  spirit 


THE   TABLE-TALK   OF    MOHAMMAD.     169 

into  it,  and  this  he  can  never  do,  and  so  he  will 
be  punished  as  long  as  God  wills. 

O  servants  of  God  use  medicine  :  because  God 
hath  not  created  a  pain  without  a  remedy  for  it,  to 
be  the  means  of  curing  it,  except  age  ;  for  that  is 
a  pain  without  a  remedy. 

He  who  is  not  loving  to  God's  creatures  and 
to  his  own  children,  God  will  not  be  loving  to 
him. 

The  truest  words  spoken  by  any  poet  are  those 
of  Lebld,  who  said,  "  Know  that  everything  is 
vanity  except  God." 

Verily  he  who  believeth  fighteth  with  his  sword 
and  tongue :  I  swear  by  God,  verily  abuse  of 
infidels  in  verse  is  worse  to  them  than  arrows. 

Meekness  and  shame  are  two  branches  of  faith, 
and  vain  talking  and  embellishing  are  two  branches 
of  hypocrisy. 

The  calamity  of  knowledge  is  forgetfulness, 
and  to  lose  knowledge  is  this,  to  speak  of  it  to  the 
unworthy. 


I70    THE    TABLE-TALK    OF    MOHAMMAD. 

Whoso  pursueth  the  road  of  knowledge,  God  will 
direct  him  to  the  road  of  Paradise  ;  and  verily  the 
angels  spread  their  arms  to  receive  him  who 
seeketh  after  knowledge  ;  and  everything  in  heaven 
and  earth  will  ask  grace  for  him ;  and  verily 
the  superiority  of  a  learned  man  over  a  mere 
worshipper  is  like  that  of  the  full  moon  over  all 
the  stars. 

Hearing  is  not  like  seeing :  verily  God 
acquainted  Moses  of  his  tribe's  worshipping  a 
calf,  but  he  did  not  throw  down  the  tables  ;  but 
when  Moses  went  to  his  tribe,  and  saw  with  his 
eyes  the  calf  they  had  made,  he  threw  down  the 
tables  and  broke  them. 

Be  not  extravagant  in  praising  me,  as  the 
Christians  are  in  praising  Jesus,  Mary's  Son,  by 
calling  him  God,  and  the  Son  of  God  ;  I  am  only 
the  Lord's  servant ;  then  call  me  the  servant  of 
God,  and  His  messenger. 

It  was  asked,  "  O  Messenger  of  God,  what 
relation  is  most  worthy  of  doing  good  to  1 "  He 
said,  "  Your  mother,"  this  he  repeated  thrice  : 
"  and  after  her  your  father,  and  after  him  your 
other  relations  by  propinquity.' 


THE   TABLE-TALK    OF    MOHAMMAD.     171 

God's  pleasure  is  in  a  father's  pleasure,  and 
God's  displeasure  is  a  father's  displeasure. 

Verily  one  of  you  is  a  mirror  to  his  brother : 
Then  if  he  see  a  vice  in  his  brother  he  must  tell 
him  to  get  rid  of  it. 

The  best  person  near  God  is  the  best  amongst 
his  friends  ;  and  the  best  of  neighbours  near  God 
is  the  best  person  in  his  own  neighbourhood. 

Deliberation  in  undertaking  is  pleasing  to  God, 
and  haste  is  pleasing  to  the  devil. 

The  heart  of  the  old  is  always  young  in  two 
things,  in  love  for  the  world  and  length  of  hope. 


172    THE   TABLE-TALK    OF   MOHAMMAD. 

Of  Death. 

Wish  not  for  death  any  one  of  you  ;  either  a 
doer  of  good  works,  for  peradventure  he  may 
increase  them  by  an  increase  of  Hfe ;  or  an 
offender,  for  perhaps  he  may  obtain  the  forgive- 
ness of  God  by  repentance. 

When  the  soul  is  taken  from  the  body,  the 
eyes  follow  it,  and  look  towards  it :  on  this  account 
the  eyes  remain  open. 

When  a  believer  is  nearly  dead,  angels  of  mercy 
come,  clothed  in  white  silk  garments,  and  say  to 
the  soul  of  the  dying  man,  "  Come  out,  O  thou  who 
art  satisfied  with  God,  and  with  whom  He  is 
satisfied  ;  come  out  to  rest,  which  is  with  God, 
and  the  sustenance  of  God's  mercy  and  compas- 
sion, and  to  the  Lord,  who  is  not  angry."  Then 
the  soul  Cometh  out  like  the  smell  of  the  best  musk, 
so  that  verily  it  is  handed  from  one  angel  to 
another,  till  they  bring  it  to  the  doors  of  the  celestial 
regions.  Then  the  angels  say,  ''  What  a  wonderful 
pleasant  smell  this  is  which  is  come  to  you  from  the 
earth ! "  Then  they  bring  it  to  the  souls  of  the  faith- 
ful, and  they  are  very  happy  at  its  coming ;  more 
than  ye  are  at  the  coming  of  one  of  your  family  aftera 


THE   TABLE-TALK    OF   MOHAMMAD.     173 

long  journey.  And  the  souls  of  the  faithful  ask  it, 
"  What  hath  such  an  one  done,  and  such  an  one  ? 
how  are  they.?"  and  they  mention  the  names  of 
their  friends  who  are  left  in  the  world.  And  some 
of  them  say,  "  Let  it  alone,  do  not  ask  it,  because 
it  was  grieved  in  the  world,  and  came  from  thence 
aggrieved  ;  ask  it  when  it  is  at  rest."  Then  the  soul 
saith  when  it  is  at  ease,  "  Verily  such  an  one  about 
whom  ye  ask  is  dead."  And  as  they  do  not  see  him 
amongst  themselves,  they  say  to  one  another, "  Surely 

he  was  carried  to  his  mother,  which  is  Hell  Fire." 
And  verily  when  an  infidel  is  near  death, 
angels  of  punishment  come  to  him,  clothed  in 
sackcloth,  and  say  to  his  soul,  "  Come  out,  thou 
discontented,  and  with  whom  God  is  displeased  ; 
come  to  God's  punishments."  Then  it  cometh  out 
with  a  disagreeable  smell,  worse  than  the  worst 
stench  of  a  dead  body,  until  they  bring  it  upon  the 
earth,  and  they  say,  "  What  an  extraordinary  bad 
smell  this  is  ;"  till  they  bring  it  to  the  souls  of  the 
infidels. 

A  bier  was  passing,  and  the  Prophet  stood  up 
for  it ;  and  we  stood  with  him  and  said,  O  Prophet ! 
verily  this  bier  is  of  a  Jewish  woman  ;  we  must 
not  respect  it."  Then  the  Prophet  said,  "  Verily 
death  is  dreadful  :  therefore  when  ye  see  a  bier 
stand  up." 


174     THE    TABLE-TALK    OF    MOHAMMAD. 

Do  not  abuse  or  speak  ill  of  the  dead,  because 
they  have  arrived  at  what  they  sent  before  them  ; 
they  have  received  the  rewards  of  their  actions  ; 
if  the  reward  is  good,  you  must  not  mention  them 
as  sinful ;  and  if  it  is  bad,  perhaps  they  may  be 
forgiven,  but  if  not,  your  mentioning  their  badness 
is  of  no  use. 

Sit  not  upon  graves,  nor  say  your  prayers 
fronting  them. 

Whoso  consoleth  one  in  misfortune,  for  him  is  a 
reward  equal  to  that  of  the  sufferer. 

Whoso  comforteth  a  woman  who  has  lost  her 
child  will  be  covered  with  a  garment  in  Paradise. 

The  Prophet  passed  by  graves  in  Medina,  and 
turned  his  face  towards  them,  and  said,  "  Peace  be 
to  you,  O  people  of  the  graves.  God  forgive  us 
and  you  !  Ye  have  passed  on  before  us,  and  we 
are  following  you." 


THE    TABLE-TALK    OF    MOHAMMAD.     175 

Of  the  State  after  Death. 

To  whomsoever  God  giveth  wealth,  and  he  doth 
not  perform  the  charity  due  from  it,  his  weaUh  will 
be  made  into  the  shape  of  a  serpent  on  the  Day  of 
Resurrection,  which  shall  not  have  any  hair  upon 
its  head,  and  this  is  a  sign  of  its  poison  and  long 
life,  and  it  hath  two  black  spots  upon  its  eyes,  and 
it  will  be  twisted  round  his  neck  like  a  chain  on 
the  Day  of  Resurrection  ;  then  the  serpent  will 
seize  the  man's  jaw-bones,  and  will  say,  "  I  am  thy 
wealth,  the  charity  for  which  thou  didst  not  give, 
and  I  am  thy  treasure,  from  which  thou  didst  not 
separate  any  alms." 

The  Prophet  asked  us,  "  Did  any  one  of  you 
dream  ?"  We  said,  "  No."  He  said,  '•  But  I  did. 
Two  men  came  to  me  and  took  hold  of  my  hands, 
and  carried  me  to  a  pure  land :  and  behold,  there 
was  a  man  sitting  and  another  standing  :  the  first 
had  an  iron  hook  in  his  hand,  and  was  hooking 
the  other  in  the  lip,  and  split  it  to  the  back  of  the 
neck,  and  then  did  the  same  with  the  other  lip. 
While  this  was  doing  the  first  healed,  and  the  man 
kept  on  from  one  lip  to  the  other."  I  said,  "  What 
is  this  ? "  They  said, "  Move  on,"  and  we  did  so  till  we 
reached  a  man  sleeping  on  his  back,  and  another 


176    THE   TABLE-TALK    OF    MOHAMMAD. 

standing  at  his  head  with  a  stone  in  his  hand, 
with  which  he  was  breaking  the  other's  head,  and 
afterwards  rolled  the  stone  about  and  then  followed 
it,  and  had  not  yet  returned,  when  the  man's 
head  was  healed  and  well.  Then  he  broke  it 
again,  and  I  said,  "What  is  this?"  They  said, 
"  Walk  on,"  and  we  walked,  till  we  came  to  a  hole 
like  an  oven,  with  its  top  narrow  and  its  bottom 
wide,  and  fire  was  burning  under  it,  and  there 
were  naked  men  and  women  in  it ;  and  when  the 
fire  burnt  high  the  people  mounted  also,  and  when 
the  fire  subsided  they  subsided  also.  Then  I 
said  "What  is  this  ?"  They  said,  "Move  on,"  and 
we  went  on  till  we  came  to  a  river  of  blood,  with  a 
man  standing  in  the  middle  of  it,  and  another 
man  on  the  bank,  with  stones  in  his  hands  :  and 
when  the  man  in  the  river  attempted  to  come  out, 
the  other  threw  stones  in  his  face,  and  made  him 
return.  And  I  said,  "  What  is  this  ,'"'  They  said, 
"Advance,"  and  we  moved  forward,  till  we  arrived 
at  a  green  garden,  in  which  was  a  large  tree,  and 
an  old  man  and  children  sitting  on  the  roots  of 
it,  and  near  it  was  a  man  lighting  a  fire.  Then  I 
was  carried  upon  the  tree,  and  put  into  a  house 
which  was  in  the  middle  of  it, — a  better  house  I 
have  never  seen  :  and  there  were  old  men,  young 
men,  women,  and  children.    After  that  they  brought 


THE    TABLE-TALK    OF    MOHAMMAD.      177 

me  out  of  the  house  and  carried  me  to  the  top  of 

the  tree,  and  put  me  into  a  better  house,  where 

were  old  men  and  young  men.     And  I  said  to  my 

two  conductors,  "Verily  ye  have  shown  me  a  great 

many  things  to-night,  then  inform  me  of  what   I 

have  seen."    They  said,  "Yes :  as  to  the  man  whom 

you  saw  with  split  lips,  he  was  a  liar,  and  will  be 

treated  in  that  way  till  the   Day  of  Resurrection  ; 

and  the  person  you  saw  getting  his  head  broken 

is  a  man  whom   God  taught  the   Koran,  and   he 

did  not  repeat  it  in  the  night,  nor  practice  what  is 

in  it  by  day,  and  he  will  be  treated  as  you  saw  till 

the  Day  of  Resurrection  ;  and  the  people  you  saw 

in  the  oven  are  adulterers  ;  and  those  you  saw  in 

the  river  are  receivers  of  usury ;  and  the  old  man 

you   saw   under   the   tree   is   Abraham  ;    and   the 

children   around  them   are  the  children  of  men  : 

and    the   person   who   was   lighting  the   fire   was 

Malik,  the  keeper  of  hell ;  and  the  first  house  you 

entered  was  for  the  common  believers  ;  and  as  to 

the  second  house,  it  is  for  the  martyrs  :  and  we 

who  conducted  you  are  one  of  us  Gabriel,  and  the 

other  Michael ;   then  raise  up  your  head  ;"  and  I 

did  so,  and  saw  above  it  as  it  were  a  cloud  :  and  they 

said,  "That  is  your  dwelHng."     I   said,  "Call  it 

here,  that  I  may  enter  it  ;"  and  they  said,  "Verily 

your  life  remaineth,  but  when  you  have  completed 

it,  you  will  come  into  your  house." 

N 


178    THE    TABLE-TALK    OF   MOHAMMAD. 

When  God  created  Paradise,  He  said  to  Gabriel, 
"  Go  and  look  at  it,"  then  Gabriel  went  and  looked 
at  it  and  at  the  things  which  God  had  prepared 
for  the  people  of  it.  After  that  Gabriel  came  and 
said,  "  O  my  Lord  !  I  swear  by  thy  glory  no  one 
will  hear  a  description  of  Paradise  but  will  be 
ambitious  of  entering  it."  After  that  God  sur- 
rounded Paradise  with  distress  and  troubles,  and 
said,  ''  O  Gabriel,  go  and  look  at  Paradise." 
And  he  went  and  looked,  and  then  returned  and 
said,  "  O  my  Lord,  I  fear  that  verily  no  one  will 
enter  it."  And  when  God  created  Hell  Fire  He 
said  to  Gabriel,  ''  Go  and  take  a  look  at  it."  And 
he  went  and  looked  at  it,  and  returned  and  said, 
"  O  my  Lord,  I  swear  by  thy  glory  that  no  one 
who  shall  hear  a  description  of  Hell  Fire  will 
wish  to  enter  it."  Then  God  surrounded  it  with 
sins,  desires,  and  vices,  after  that  said  to  Gabriel, 
"  Go  and  look  at  Hell  Fire,"  and  he  went  and 
looked  at  it,  and  said,  "  O  my  Lord,  I  swear  by 
thy  glory  I  am  afraid  that  every  one  will  enter 
Hell,  because  sins  are  so  sweet  that  there  is  none 
but  will  incline  to  them." 

If  ye  knew  what  I  know  of  the  condition  of 
the  resurrection  and  futurity,  verily  ye  would  weep 
much  and  laugh  little. 


THE   TABLE-TALK    OF   MOHAMMAD.      179 

Then  I  said,  "  O  messenger  of  God  !  shall  we 
perish  while  the  virtuous  are  amongst  us?"  He 
said,  Yes,  when  the  wickedness  shall  be  excessive, 
verily  there  will  be  tribes  of  my  sects  that  will 
consider  the  wearing  of  silks  and  drinking  liquor 
lawful,  and  will  listen  to  the  lute  :  and  there  will 
be  men  with  magnificent  houses,  and  their  milch 
animals  will  come  to  them  in  the  evening,  full  of 
milk,  and  a  man  will  come  begging  a  little  and 
they  will  say.  Come  to-morrow.  Then  God  will 
quickly  send  a  punishment  upon  them,  and  will 
change  others  into  the  shape  of  monkeys  and 
swine,  unto  the  Day  of  Resurrection. 

Verily  among  the  signs  of  the  Resurrection 
will  be  the  taking  away  of  knowledge  from  amongst 
men ;  and  their  being  in  great  ignorance  and 
much  wickedness  and  much  drinking  of  liquor,  and 
diminution  of  men,  and  there  being  many  women  ; 
to  such  a  degree  that  there  will  be  fifty  women  to 
one  man,  and  he  will  work  for  a  livelihood  for 
the  women. 

How  can  I  be  happy,  when  Israfil  hath  put  the 
trumpet  to  his  mouth  to  blow  it,  leaning  his  ear 
towards  the  true  God  for  orders,  and  hath  already 
knit  his  brow,  waiting  in  expectation  of  orders  to 
blow  it  ? 


I  So    THE   TABLE-TALK    OF    MOHAMMAD. 

Of  Destiny. 

The  hearts  of  men  are  at  the  disposal  of  God 
like  unto  one  heart,  and  He  turneth  them  about  in 
any  way  that  He  pleaseth.  O  Director  of  hearts, 
turn  our  hearts  to  obey  Thee. 

The  first  thing  which  God  created  was  a  pen, 
and  He  said  to  it,  "Write."  It  said,  "  What  shall  I 
write  ?  "  And  God  said,  "  Write  down  the  quantity 
of  every  separate  thing  to  be  created."  And  it 
wrote  all  that  was  and  all  that  will  be  to  eternity. 

There  is  not  one  among  you  whose  sitting-place 
is  not  written  by  God  whether  in  the  fire  or  in 
Paradise.  The  Companions  said,  "  O  Prophet  ! 
since  God  hath  appointed  our  place,  may  we  con- 
fide in  this  and  abandon  our  religious  and  moral 
duty?"  He  said,  "No,  because  the  happy  will 
do  good  works,  and  those  who  are  of  the  miserable 
will  do  bad  works." 

The  Prophet  of  God  said  that  Adam  and 
Moses  (in  the  world  of  spirits)  maintained  a  de- 
bate before  God,  and  Adam  got  the  better  of 
Moses  ;  who  said,  "  Thou  art  that  Adam  whom 
God   created   by  the   power  of  His    hands,   and 


THE    TABLE-TALK    OF    MOHAMMAD.     i8i 

breathed  into  thee  from  His  own  spirit,  and  made 
the  angels  bow  before  thee,  and  gave  thee  an 
habitation  in  His  own  Paradise :  after  that 
thou  threwest  man  upon  the  earth,  from  the  fault 
which  thou  committedst."  Adam  said,  "  Thou  art 
that  Moses  whom  God  elected  for  His  prophecy, 
and  to  converse  with,  and  He  gave  to  thee  twelve 
tables,  in  which  are  explained  everything,  and  God 
made  thee  His  confidant,  and  the  bearer  of  His 
secrets :  then  how  long  was  the  Bible  written 
before  I  was  created?"  Moses  said,  "Forty 
years."  Then  Adam  said,  "  Didst  thou  see  in  the 
Bible  that  Adam  disobeyed  God.^"  He  said, 
"  Yes."  Adam  said,  "  Dost  thou  then  reproach 
me  on  a  matter  which  God  wrote  in  the  Bible 
forty  years  before  creating  me  ? " 

'Aisha  relates  that  the  Prophet  said  to  her, 
"  Do  you  know,  O  'Aisha !  the  excellence  of 
this  night .''"  (the  fifteenth  of  Ramadan.)  I  said, 
"  What  is  it,  O  Prophet .?"  He  said,  "  One  thing 
in  this  night  is,  that  all  the  children  of  Adam  to 
be  born  in  the  year  are  written  down  ;  and  also 
those  who  are  to  die  in  it,  and  all  the  actions 
of  the  children  of  Adam  are  carried  up  to  heaven 
in  this  night ;  and  their  allowances  are  sent  down." 
Then  I  said,  "  O  Prophet,  do  none  enter  Paradise 


1 82     THE   TABLE-TALK    OF    MOHAMMAD. 

except  by  God's  mercy?"  He  said,  "No,  none 
enter  except  by  God's  favour :"  this  he  said  thrice. 
I  said,  "  You,  also,  O  Prophet !  will  you  not  enter 
into  Paradise,  excepting  by  God's  compassion  ? " 
Then  the  Prophet  put  his  hand  on  his  head,  and 
said,  "  I  shall  not  enter,  except  God  cover  me  with 
His  mercy  :"  this  he  said  thrice. 


A  man  asked  the  Prophet  what  was  the  mark 
whereby  a  man  might  know  the  reality  of  his 
faith.  He  said,  "  If  thou  derive  pleasure  from  the 
good  which  thou  hast  done,  and  be  grieved  for  the 
evil  which  thou  hast  committed,  thou  art  a  true 
believer."  The  man  said,  "What  doth  a  fault 
really  consist  in.^"  He  said,  "When  anything 
pricketh  thy  conscience  forsake  it." 

I  am  no  more  than  man  :  when  I  order  you 
anything  with  respect  to  religion,  receive  it,  and 
when  I  order  you  about  the  affairs  of  the  world 
then  I  am  nothing  more  than  man. 


NOTES.      . 

THE  MEKKA   SPEECHES. 
I. — The  Poetic  Period. 

The  rhyming  prose  in  which  the  Koran  is  written  may 
be  seen  to  best  advantage  in  this  earliest  phase  of  Moham- 
mad's oratory,  when  the  sentences  are  short  and  the 
rhythm  more  chantant  than  in  the  later  speeches.  "The 
Smiting  "  (p.  7),  will  serve  as  a  specimen  of  the  sound  of 
the  original  Arabic,  as  far  as  it  can  be  represented  in 
Roman  characters  : — 

Bisnil-llahi-r-rahvtdni-r-rahvn 

El-kdri  atu  ind-l-kdri  ah 

\Va-7nd  adrdka  iiid-l-kdri'ah 

Yawtna  yekunii-n-ndsu  ke-l-fardsi-l-Jiiabthfith 

Wa-teknnu-l-jibdlu  ke-l-ihni-l-iiian/iish 

Fe-avima  men  thekulct  iHavjdzinuhufc-hinvafi  'tshetin  rddiyeh 

IVa-aiujjta  men  khaffet  mawdzinuhu  fc-ummuhu  hdwiyeh 

Wa-md  adi'-dka  md  hiyeh 

N'drun  hdmiyeh 

The  effect  of  which  may  be  thus  roughly  preserved  in 
English  : — 

In  the  Name  of  God,  the  Compassionate,  the  Merciful. 

The  Smiting  !    What  is  the  Smiting  ? 

And  what  shall  teach  thee  what  is  the  Smiting? 

The  Day  when  men  shall  be  like  moths  adrift, 

And  the  hills  shall  be  like  wool-flocks  rift : 

Then  as  for  him  whose  scales  are  heavy,  his  shall  be  a  life  of  bliss  : 

And  as  for  him  whose  scales  are  light,  a  place  in  the  Pit  is  his  : 

And  what  shall  teach  thee  what  that  place  is— 

A  Fire  that  blazes  t 


1 84  NOTES. 

1'.  3.  The  Night.— The  formula  " ///  the  Name  of 
God,  the  Compassionate,  the  Merciful,^'  precedes  all  the 
chapters  of  the  Koran  but  one.     We. — God  speaks  in  the 
plural  in  the  Koran. 

P.  5.  The  Country.  —  The  i%oo  liighivays :  the  steep 
one  to  heaven,  and  the  smooth  one  to  hell. 

P.  6.  The  people  of  the  right  hand — those  that  receive 
the  book  of  the  record  of  their  actions  in  their  right  hand 
— the  blessed.  Contrariwise — the  people  of  the  left  hand 
— the  damned. 

P.  7.  The  Smiting. — One  of  many  similar  names  for 
the  Day  of  Judgment.  The  Bottomless  Pit,  •'  El-Hawiyeh," 
is  the  lowest  stage  of  the  Hell  of  the  Koran. 

P.  8.  The  Quaking.— ^/m/tv/j-,  i.e.  the  dead.  Her 
tidijigs:  "The  tidings  of  the  earth  are  these — she  will 
bear  witness  to  the  actions  of  every  man  and  woman  done 
upon  her  surface." — Tradition  of  Mohammad. 

P.  9.  The  Rending  k.<i\3^^^K,  —  Reporters :  two 
angels  who  note  respectively  the  good  and  the  evil  deeds 
and  words  of  every  man. 

P.  13.  The  Backbiter.— This  speech  is  said  to  have 
been  levelled  at  a  personal  enemy. 

Blasting  Hell,  "  El-Hutameh,"  is  the  third  stage  of  the 
Mohammadan  Inferno. 

P.  14.  The  Splendour  of  Morning.— Evidently 
uttered  in  a  time  of  despondency  and  with  the  intention 
of  self-encouragement. 

P.  15.  The  Most  High.— 77/6' /w/'j</d?/^/.    Moham- 


NOTES.  1 8s 

mad  asserted  that  his  doctrine  was  a  revival  of  the  religion 
of  Abraham  and  the  patriarchs,  as  it  was  before  the  Jews 
corrupted  it. 

P.  17.  The  Wrapping. — A  simile  from  the  wrapping 
of  a  head  in  a  turban. 

Camels  ten  months  gone  with  young  were  the  Arabs' 
most  valuable  property. 

The  child  that  zvas  buried  alive.  Infanticide  of  female 
children  was  among  the  crimes  of  the  ancient  Arab. 

The  Books — in  which  men's  actions  are  recorded. 

Stars  that  hide,  i.e.  that  set;  or,  as  others  say,  "that 
retrogress,"  i.e.  the  planets. 

P.  18.  Mad.  The  people  commonly  believed  Mo- 
hammad to  be  possessed  with  a  jinni  (or  genius). 

Pelted  devil.  The  evil  jinn  or  devils  are  supposed  to 
act  the  eavesdropper  on  the  confines  of  heaven,  and  to  be 
driven  away  by  shooting  stars. 

A  reminder,  scil.,  of  the  true  religion  of  Abraham  and 
the  prophets,  which  men  had  forgotten.  Cf.  Lane  :  Selec- 
tions fro?n  the  Kiir-an,  lxxxi.15,  47,  48  (2d  ed.,  Trubner's 
Oriental  Series). 

P.  19.  The  News. — One  of  the  many  names  which 
Mohammad  employed  to  bring  home  to  his  people  the  re- 
ality and  fearfulness  of  the  Last  Day. 

Tent-pegs.  Mountains  were  believed  to  keep  the  earth 
steady,  as  pegs  do  a  tent. 

P.  22,  The  Fact.— One  of  the  names  of  the  Last 
Day  :  the  event  which  must  inevitably  happen. 
Abasing  the  sinners,  and  exalting  the  righteous. 
Three  kinds:  the  "  outstrippers,"  the  "people  of  the 


1 86  NOTES. 

right  hand,"  and  the  "people  of  the  left  hand."  In  the 
original  the  same  word  means  "  right  hand  "  and  "  happi- 
ness," or  "good  omen  ;"  contrariwise,  "left  hand  "  and 
"misfortune."  Cp.  the  use  of  dexter  and  sinister.  An 
instance  of  Mohammad's  practice  of  playing  upon  the 
different  senses  of  a  word. 

The  oiitstrippers,  i.e.  those  who  are  the  first  to  adopt 
the  true  religion — the  prophets  and  apostles,  who  shall  be 
rewarded  by  being  allowed  to  stand  nearest  to  God  in  the 
next  world.  The  following  fifteen  lines  describe  their 
happy  fate ;  after  which,  fourteen  refer  to  the  people  of 
the  right  hand,  or  ordinary  believers  ;  and  then  seventeen 
lines  to  ihe  people  of  the  left  hand,  or  damned. 

P.  24.  ZakkuDi :  A  thorny  tree  with  a  bitter  fruit, 
which  grows  up  from  the  bottomless  pit. 

P.  26.  Preserved  Book. — Mohammad  taught  that  every 
"revelation"  in  the  Koran  was  but  a  transcript  from  the 
pages  of  a  great  book,  known  as  the  "  Mother  of  the  Book,''' 
"preserved"  under  the  throne  of  God.  The  sentence, 
Let  none  touch  it  but  the  ptirified,  is  commonly  inscribed 
upon  the  cover  of  the  Koran. 

Those  hrouglit  nearest,  i.e.  ihQontst rippers,  or  prophets. 

P.  27.  The  Merciful. — Then  which  of  the  bounties, 
etc.  A  refrain  or  burden  of  this  kind  is  rare  in  the 
Koran,  and  is  in  no  other  instance  so  often  repeated.  The 
tzvain  are  mankind  and  the  jinn  (or  genii).  "Jinn,"  it 
may  be  remarked,  is  a  plural,  and  the  singular  is  "  jinni " 
(a  genius),  for  the  mascuHne,  and  "jinmyeh"  for  the 
feminine. 

The  two  F.asts.    The  rising-places  of  the  sun  in  summer 


NOTES.  187 

and  winter  ;    the  Ixvo   IVests,  the  corresponding  setting- 
places. 

P.  28.  T7V0  notables,  or  "weighty  ones,"  i.e.  men  and 
jinn. 

P.  32.  The  Unity. — This  profession  of  faith  is  held 
by  Muslims  to  be  equal  in  value  to  a  third  of  the  whole 
Koran. 

P.  33.  The  Fatihah,  or  "Opening"  chapter,  so 
called  because  it  is  placed  at  the  beginning  of  the  author- 
ised arrangement  of  the  Koran.  It  is  the  Paternoster  of 
Islam,  and  is  repeated  many  times  in  the  five  daily 
prayers  of  the  Muslims,  and  on  every  solemn  occasion. 

II. — The  Rhetorical  Period. 

P.  39.  The  Kingdom.  6'aj;  z'.i?.  God  bids  Mohammad 
say.  It  must  never  be  forgotten  that  Mohammad  is  only 
supposed  to  recite  what  God  wrote  in  the  Preserved  Book 
(see  note  to  p.  26)  before  the  world  began. 

P.  41.  The  Moon. — Sign,  i.e.  miracle,  which  Mo- 
hammad insistently  declared  his  inability  to  work. 

The  Summoner :  the  archangel  IsrafTl. 

Called  it  a  lie,  i.e.  denied  the  doctrine  of  one  God  and 
of  a  Day  of  Judgment. 

P.  42.  Ad:  an  ancient  Arab  people,  destroyed  in  pre- 
historic days.  See  Lane  :  Selections  from  the  Kur-an, 
60-62. 

Thaniud:  another  tribe,  which  experienced  a  similar 
fate.     See  Lane,  ibid. 


1 88  NOTES. 

P.  45.  K. — As  to  the  meaning  of  this  letter  of  the 
Arabic  alphabet,  which  gives  a  title  to  this  speech,  in  the 
words  of  the  Muslim  commentator,  ' '  God  alone  knoweth 
what  He  meaneth  by  it." 

A  Warner  from  among  themselves.  The  Mekkans 
were  offended  that  an  angel  was  not  sent  to  them  as  an 
apostle,  instead  of  a  mere  man. 

Marvellous  thing:  the  Resurrection. 

P.  46.  The  people  of  Ttihha' :  the  Himyarites  of  Arabia 
Felix. 

A  driver  and  a  witness. — Two  angels,  who  are  sup- 
posed to  carry  on  the  ensuing  colloquy  with  God. 

P.  48.  A  tyrant. — Mohammad  was  sent  to  warn,  not 
to  compel  the  obedience  and  faith  of  his  people. 

P.  49.  Y.  S. — See  note  to  K  above,  and  to  p.  87 
below. 

P.  50.  Plain  Exemplar:  the  Preserved  Book,  men- 
tioned above  (note  to  p.  26). 

P.  51.  Enter  info  Paradise:  the  people  had  stoned 
him  to  death. 

P.  52.  Her  resting-place. — The  sun  is  feminine  in 
Arabic,  and  the  moon  masculine. 

P.  55.  Poetry. — It  was  a  common  charge  against 
Mohammad  that  he  was  a  mad  poet. 

P.  57.  The  Children  of  Israel,  otherwise  called 
The  Night  Journey,  from  the  reference  in  the  first 
verse  to  a  dream  in  which  Mohammad  saw  himself  carried 
from  the  Kaaba  (the  Sacred  Mosque)  at  Mekka,  to  the 


NOTES.  189 

Temple  (the  Ftirthest  Mosque)  at  Jerusalem  ;  upon  which 
Mohammadan  theologians  have  raised  a  noble  super- 
structure of  fable.  The  first  verse  is  probably  later  than 
the  rest.  The  tivo  sins  and  punishments  of  the  Jews  have 
also  greatly  exercised  the  commentators'  minds.  What 
they  were  Mohammad  probably  did  not  very  precisely 
know  himself. 

P.  60.    The  son  of  the  road,  i.e.  the  traveller. 

P.  61.  A  just  cause:  apostacy,  adultery,  or  murder. 

P.  62.  Daughters  from  among  the  angels. — The  Arabs 
worshipped  the  angels  and  jinn  as  daughters  of  God  ;  and 
it  is  against  this  polytheism  and  blasphemous  relationship 
that  Mohammad  protests,    whilst  he   never   denies   but 
contrariwise  admits  the  existence  of  such  spirits.     Further 
on  (p.  64)  he  refers  to  these  angels  and  other  Arabian 
divinities,  as  beings  who  are  not  to  be  invoked,  since  they 
can  have  no  influence  for  good  or  ill,  and  who  them- 
selves are  in  hope  and  fear  of  God's  mercy  and  torment, 
like  human  beings.     It  should  be  noticed  that  hitherto 
Mohammad  has  directed  his  preaching  against  disbelief  in 
the  One  God,  but  has  not  pointedly  attacked  the  idolatry 
of  the  Mekkans.     In  Y.  S.,  however,  he  begins  to  speak 
oi  other  gods  (p.  55),  and  in  the  Third  or  Argumentative 
Period,  the  angels  and  jinn  which  the  Mekkans  wor- 
shipped, and  represented  in  the  shape  of  idols,  are  fre- 
quently denounced,  especially  under  the  name  o{  Partners 
(see  pp.  76,  84,  90,  92,  93,  97,  98,  103,  106,  etc.) 

P.  65.  The  accursed  tree :  Zakkum,  see  note  to  p.  24. 
The  full  Koranic  history  of  Adam  and  Eve,  and  how  IblTs, 
the  father  of  the  devils,  refused  to  do  homage  to  the  father 
of  mankind,  may  be  read  in  Lane's  Selections,  pp.  49-52. 


I90  NOTES. 

P.  67.  Well-nigh  tcjupted :  referring  apparently  to  an 
inclination  of  Mohammad  to  temporize  with  idolatry  on  a 
special  occasion. 

P.  68,  The  Spirit:  Gabriel,  the  teacher  of  Moham- 
mad, and  the  bearer  of  revelations  from  God  to  His 
prophet. 

P.  71.  Call  upon  God,  or  call  upon  the  Merciful. — 
Mohammad's  use  of  two  general  names  for  God  had 
apparently  caused  some  confusion  among  the  faithful, 
which  this  verse  removed. 

The  "Children  of  Israel"  speech  is  especially  im- 
portant, since  it  contains  more  definite  regulations  of 
conduct  than  any  other  of  the  orations  delivered  at 
Mekka. 

III. — The  Argumentative  Period. 

P.  76.  The  Believer.  Tivice  hast  thou  given  us  death, 
etc. — Referring  to  the  absence  of  life  before  birth,  and  the 
deprivation  of  it  at  death,  and  to  the  being  quickened  at 
birth,  and  raised  again  after  death. 

P.  78.  Their  footprints,  or  vestiges:  i.e.  their  build- 
ings and  public  works. 

Moses.  For  the  Koranic  history  of  the  Israelites,  see 
Lane's  Selectiotis,  pp.  97-131. 

P.  84.  I  ai}i  hidden  to  resign  myself:  i.e.  I  am  bidden 
to  become  a  Muslim,  for  Muslim  (Moslem  or  Musulman) 
means  "one  who  is  resigned,"  and  Islam,  belonging  to 
the  same  root,  signifies  "'resignation,"  or  "self-surrender." 
This  is  the  correct  name  of  the  religion  taught  by  the 
Arabian  prophet,  who  would  have  regarded  the  epithet 


NOTES.  191 

"  Mohammadan,"  as  applied  to  the  creed,  or  the  professor 
thereof,  as  nothing  short  of  blasphemy. 

Jonah.  P.  S7.  A.  L.  R.  —  Letters  the  import  of 
which  is  as  mysterious  as  K.  and  Y.  S.  before,  and  A.  L. 
M.  R.  afterwards.  Noldeke  believes  them  to  be  abbrevia- 
tions of  the  names  of  the  first  reporters  of  the  speeches. 

P.  89.  I  had  dwelt  a  lifetime:  i.e.  I  should  not  have 
waited  till  I  was  forty  before  I  began  preaching,  if  I  was 
the  designing  impostor  you  take  me  for. 

P.  90.  Ye  are  in  ships — and  they  rmi  with  them. — The 
reader  must  have  observed  that  sudden  transitions  from  the 
second  to  the  third  person,  and  from  the  singular  to  the 
plural,  are  very  common  in  the  Koran.  They  may  per- 
haps be  regarded  as  convincing  evidence  of  the  fidelity  of 
jNIohammad's  reporters, 

P.  97.  God  hath  taken  Him  a  son:  referring  to  the 
Christian  doctrine. 

P.  100.  Kihla :  The  point  towards  which  prayer  must 
l^e  said.     See  p.  134. 

P.  loi.  Now! — The  angel  Gabriel  is  credited  with 
this  taunt. 

Thunder.  P.  104.  A.  L.  M.  R. — Mystic  letters  as 
above  ;  perhaps  for  AL-MogheyReh,  as  the  first  reporter 
of  this  particular  speech. 

P.  106.   Patrons^  i.e.   Idols. 

P.  108.  Join  wliat  God  hath  hidden  to  be  joined :  i.e. 
believe  in  the  whole  series  of  prophets,  and  join  good 
works  to  faith. 


192 


NOTES. 


P.  III.  Mother  of  the  Booh. — The    Preserved    Book 
mentioned  before  in  The  Fact  (see  note  to  p.  26). 


THE  MEDINA   SPEECHES. 

Deception.  P.  117.  Obey  God,  and  obey  the  Apostle. — 
This  is  a  sure  indication  of  the  Medina  origin  of  at  least 
this  verse,  for  the  self-importance  of  the  phrase  would 
have  been  inappropriate  in  Mohammad's  weak  and  in- 
significant position  at  Mekka.  (The  speech  is,  however, 
by  some  ascribed  to  the  Mekka  division.)  Further  on 
the  words  Believe  in  God  and  His  Apostle  (in  Iron,  p. 
118),  and  They  who  sivear  fealty  to  thee  do  but  s7uear  fealty 
to  God  (in  Victory,  p.  125),  indicate  the  same  spirit 
of  self-exaltation  which  began  with  the  prophet's  pros- 
perity at  Medina. 

Iron.  P.  119.  Manifest  signs:  the  revelations  con- 
tained in  the  Koran. 

P.  122.  //  is  xvritten  in  the  Book :  i.e.  Every  event  is 
set  down  in  the  Preserved  Book  before  the  event  itself  is 
created. 

God  is  rich :  i.e.  He  has  no  need  of  your  grudging 
alms. 

Victory.  P.  124. — The  victory  in  question  was  pro- 
bably the  peaceful  but  real  triumph  of  the  Truce  of 
Hudeybia,  in  A,  H.  6  ;  though  some  commentators  prefer 
to  regard  the  speech  as  prophetical  of  the  conquest  of 
Mekka  two  years  later. 

P.  125.  The  Arabs  of  the  desert  ivho  7vere  left  behind 
were  certain  tribes  who  held  aloof  from  the  pilgrimage 


NOTES.  193 

towards  Mekka,  which  ended  in  the  Truce  of  Hudeybia. 
Mohammad  punished  them  by  refusing  to  allow  them  to 
share  in  the  booty  which  soon  after  fell  to  the  faithful  in 
the  Khaibar  expedition ;  hence  the  reference  on  p.  126. 

P.  1 28.  In  the  valley  of  Mekka :  referring  to  the 
Truce  of  Hudeybia.  Kept  yoit  aivay  from  the  Sacred 
Mosqjie :  the  Koreysh  refused  to  allow  Mohammad  and 
his  followers  to  enter  Mekka  or  perform  the  pilgrimage  ; 
whereupon  the  truce  was  concluded,  by  which  the  pil- 
grimage was  to  take  place  ( Ye  shall  surely  enter  the 
Sacred  Mosque)  in  the  following  year  (see  Introduction, 
p.  xlv.) 

P.  129.    Traces:  i.e.  dust  from  touching  the  ground. 

P.  130.  Help. — Revealed  after  the  conquest  of  Mekka, 
and  shortly  before  Mohammad's  death,  and  believed  to 
have  given  him  warning  of  it. 


THE   LAW   GIVEN    AT   MEDINA. 

The  forty  paragraphs  arranged  on  pp.  133-144,  contain, 
it  is  believed,  all  the  definite  ordinances  of  Mohammad  as 
set  forth  in  the  Medina  speeches,  with  the  exception  of 
some  regulations  relating  to  women.  The  bulk  of  the 
Medina  speeches  are  indeed  rather  collections  of  separate 
decisions  or  "rulings"  put  together  for  convenience  of 
reference  by  the  Muslims  themselves  than  separate  and 
complete  orations.  But  as  the  practical  teaching  is  inter- 
spersed with  frequent  and  verbose  prophetical  legends  of 
the  kind  with  which  the  reader  is  already  perhaps  only  too 
familiar    and  with  animadversions  on  the  political  parties 

O 


194 


NOTES. 


of  Medina,  and  similar  ephemeral  matters,  it  has  been 
thought  best  to  extract  the  marrow  of  these  lengthy  and 
composite  harangues,  and  place  them  in  some  sort  of  con- 
nected order.  Chapter  II.,  for  instance,  "The  Cow," 
contains  286  verses  ;  the  first  half  is  filled  with  the  usual 
arguments  and  illustrations,  and  the  old  stories  about 
Adam  and  Moses  ;  whilst  the  second  half  contains  a 
certain  number  of  laws  and  precepts  mixed  with  many 
repetitions  of  the  proofs  and  appeals  to  reason  which 
occur  in  most  of  the  preceding  speeches  :  altogether,  29 
verses  out  of  286  are  needed  for  the  purpose  of  showing 
what  Mohammad  actually  prescribed  in  civil  and  religious 
law.  For  an  account  of  the  modern  interpretation  of  this 
law,  see  Lane's  Modern  Egyptians,  5th  ed.  Ch.  III.  ; 
Sell's  Faith  of  Islam  ;  and  Hughes'  Notes  on  Moham- 
madanisj?!,  2d  ed.  1 87 7. 

P.  134.  Observe  the  prayer,  and  the  middle  prayer.  It 
is  not  easy  to  make  out  the  five  daily  prayers  of  Islam  in 
the  Koran.  In  the  speech  entitled  "Hud"  (Mekka, 
Third  Period,  xi.  116)  it  is  enjoined  :  "  Observe  prayer  at 
two  ends  of  the  day,  and  at  two  parts  of  the  night  " ;  and 
again,  in  "  T.  H."  (xx.  130),  the  praises  of  God  are  to 
be  celebrated  "before  the  rising  of  the  sun  and  before  its 
setting,  and  at  times  of  the  night  and  at  the  ends  of  the 
day";  and  in  "The  Greeks"  (xxx.  17)  praise  is  ordained 
"  in  the  evening  and  in  the  morning,  and  at  the  evening 
and  at  noon."  The  Muslim  commentators  differ  as  to 
the  application  of  these  injunctions  to  the  five  times  of 
prayer  recognized  throughout  the  Mohammadan  world  ; 
which  are  (i)  just  after  sunset,  (2)  at  nightfall,  (3)  at  day- 
break, (4)  just  after  noon,  and  (5)  in  the  middle  of  the 
afternoon. 


NOTES.  195 

Turn  thy  face  tozmrds  the  Sarrcd  Mosque :  i.e.  towards 
the  Kaaba  of  Mekka.  Originally  Mohammad  placed  the 
Kibla,  or  direction  of  prayer,  at  Jerusalem  ;  but  after  his 
disagreement  with  the  Jews  of  Medina  he  reverted  to  the 
old  Mekkan  temple  as  the  focus  of  Islam. 

P.  135.  It  is  enacted  (ii.  183)  that  the  fast  is  to  be 
observed  from  the  time  when  you  can  distinguish  a  white 
thread  from  a  black  thread  in  the  morning,  till  night  ; 
but  from  nightfall  till  dawn  the  Muslim  may  eat  and 
drink  and  enjoy  himself. 

P.  136.  Make  mention  of  God'' s  name  over  the  beasts :  i.e. 
Sacrifice  them,  saying,  "  In  the  name  of  God." 

P.  140.  The  Koran  contains  a  list  of  prohibited  de- 
grees ("Women,"  iv.  26,  27),  which  comprises  mothers 
and  stepmothers,  daughters,  sisters,  aunts,  nieces,  foster- 
mothers,  fostersisters,  mothers-in-law,  stepdaughters, 
daughters-in-law,  and  two  sisters,  and  other  men's  wives. 

P.  142.  Keep  the  laomen  in  houses.  Immuring  was 
afterwards  changed  to  stoning  both  the  man  and  the  woman. 

TABLE-TALK   OF  MOHAMMAD. 

P.  147.  Retaliation  is  equal. — It  is  worth  noticing, 
that  while  sin  is  requited  with  equal  punishment  or  with 
forgiveness,  good  deeds  are  rewarded  tenfold. 

P.  150.  Risijig  or  setting  of  the  sun. — The  exact 
moment  was  forbidden,  for  fear  of  even  the  suspicion  of 
sun-worship. 

P.  164.  It  is  recorded  of  the  prophet,  that  when,  being 
on  a  journey,  he  alighted  at  any  place,  he  did  not  say  his 
prayers  until  he  had  unsaddled  his  camel. 


196 


NOTES. 


Chapters  of  the  Koran  translated 
IN  THIS  Volume. 


i. 

The  Fatihah,  p.  33. 

Ixxxi. 

The  Wrapping,  17. 

X. 

Jonah,  87. 

Ixxxii. 

The  Rending  Asun- 

xiii. 

The  Thunder,  104. 

der,  9. 

xvii. 

The     Children     of 

Ixxxvii. 

The  Most  High,  15. 

Israel,  57. 

xc. 

The  Country,  5. 

xxxvi. 

Y.  S.,  49. 

xcii. 

The  Night,  3. 

xl. 

The  Believer,  75. 

xciii. 

The    Splendour    of 

xlviii. 

The  Victory,  124. 

Morning,  14. 

1. 

K.,  45- 

xcix. 

The  Quaking,  8. 

liv. 

The  Moon,  41, 

c. 

The  Chargers,  ii. 

Iv, 

The  Merciful,  27. 

ci. 

The  Smiting,  7. 

Ivi. 

The  Fact,  22. 

civ. 

The  Backbiter,  13. 

Ivii. 

Iron,  118. 

cvii. 

Support,  12. 

Ixiv. 

Deception,  115. 

ex. 

Help,  130. 

Ixvii. 

The  Kingdom,  37. 

cxii. 

The  Unity,  32. 

Ixxviii. 

The  News,  19. 

Portions  of  Chapters,  pp.  133-144- 


ii.  The  Cow,  133-144- 
iii.   The  Family  of  Im- 

ran,  133. 
iv.  Women,    139,   140, 

142-144. 
V.  TheTable,  138, 140. 


ix.    Immunity,    136,  144. 

xxii.   The  Pilgrimage,  136. 

xxiv.   The  Light,  140,  141, 

144. 

Ixii.   The     Congregation, 

134- 


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by  John  Richard  Green,  M.A.,  LL.D- 
"  This  is  a  most  welcome  addition  to  a  most  excellent  series."— Examiner. 

SELECTIONS  FROM  BYRON.  Chosen  and  arranged  by 
Matthew   Arnold.       (Also  a   Large   Paper   Edition,  Crown 

8vo,  9s.) 

"It  is  written  in  Mr.  Arnold's  neatest  vein  and  in  Mr.  Arnolds  most 
pellucid  manner."— Athenaeum. 

SIR  THOMAS  BROWNE'S  RELIGIO  MEDICI;  Letter 
to  a  Friend,  &c.,  and  Christian  Morals.  Edited  by  W.  A. 
GREENHILL,  M.D.,  Oxon. 

"Dr.  Greenliill's  annotations  display  care  and  research  to  a  degree  rare 
among  English  editors."— Athen^um. 

MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  LONDON. 


A 


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Date  Due 

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9 

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