Koreish sent to let him know that || ter to embrace Mahometism. The they would not permit him to en- messenger being returned, Badhan

in a few days received a letter from Shiruyeh, informing him of his father's death, and ordering him to give the prophet no further disturbance. Whereupon Badhan, and the Persians with him, turned Mahometans.

The emperor Heraclius, as the Arabian historians assure us, received Mahomet's letter with great respect, laying it on his pillow, and dismissed the bearer honourably. And some pretend that he would have professed this new faith, had he not been afraid of losing his crown.

ter Mecca, unless he forced his way whereupon he called his troops about him, and they all took a solemn oath of fealty or homage to him, and he resolved to attack the city; but those of Mecca sending Arwa Ebn Masun, prince of the tribe of Thakif, as their ambassador, to desire peace, a truce was concluded between them for ten years, by which any person was allowed to enter into league either with Mahomet, or with the Koreish, as he thought fit. In the seventh year of the Hegira, Mahomet began to think of propagating his religion beyond Mahomet wrote to the same the bounds of Arabia, and sent effect to the king of Ethiopia, messengers to the neighbouring though he had been converted beprinces, with letters to invite fore, according to the Arab writhem to Mahometism. Nor was ters; and to Mokawkas, governor this project without some success: of Egypt, who gave the messenKhosru Parviz, then king of Per-ger a very favourable reception, sia, received his letter with great and sent several valuable presents disdain, and tore it in a passion, to Mahomet, and among the rest sending away the messenger very two girls, one of which, named abruptly; which, when Mahomet Mary, became a great favourite heard, he said, God shall tear his with him. He also sent letters kingdom. And soon after a mes- of the like purport to several senger came to Mahomet from Arab princes; particularly one Badhan, king of Yaman, who to Al Hareth Ebn Abi Shamer, was a dependant on the Persians, to acquaint him that he had received orders to send him to Khosru. Mahomet put off his answer till the next morning, and then told the messenger it had been revealed to him that night that Khosru was slain by his son Shiruyeh adding, that he was well assured, his new religion and empire should rise to as great a height as that of Khosru; and therefore bid him advise his mas

king of Ghassan, who returning
for answer that he
that he would go
to Mahomet himself, the prophet
said, May his kingdom perish; an-
other to Hawdha Ebn Ali, king of
Yamama, who was a Christian,
and, having some time before pro-
fessed Islamism, had lately return-
ed to his former faith: this prince
sent back a very rough answer,
upon which Mahomet cursing
him, he died soon after; and a
third to Al Mondar Ebn Sawa,

king of Bahrein, who embraced ants. whereof had broken the Mahometism, and all the Arabs truce concluded on two years beof that country followed his ex-fore; for the tribe of Becr, who ample. were confederates with the Koreish, attacking those of Kozaah, who were allies of Mahomet, killed several of them, being supported in the action by a party of

The eighth year of the Hegira was a very fortunate year to Mahomet. In the beginning of it Khaled Ebn al Walid and Amru Ebn al As, both excellent sol-the Koreish themselves. The diers, the first of whom afterwards consequence of this violation was conquered Syria and other coun- soon apprehended, and Abu Sotries, and the latter Egypt, be- sian himself made a journey to came proselytes to Mahometism. Medina on purpose to heal the And soon after the prophet sent breach and renew the truce, but 3000 men against the Grecian in vain; for Mahomet, glad of this forces, to revenge the death of opportunity, refused to see him: one of his ambassadors, who, be-whereupon he applied to Abu ing sent to the governor of Bosra Becr and Ali; but they giving on the same errand as those who him no answer, he was obliged to went to the above-mentioned return to Mecca as he came. princes, was slain by an Arab of the tribe of Ghassan, at Muta, a town in the territory of Balka, in Syria, about three days journey eastward from Jerusalem, near which town they encountered. The Grecians being vastly superior in number (for, including the auxiliary Arabs, they had an army of 100,000 men), the Ma-not being in a condition to defend hometans were repulsed in the first attack, and lost successively three of their generals, viz. Zeid Ebn Haretha, Mahomet's freedman; Jaasar, the son of Abu Taleb; and Abdallah Ebn Rawaha: but Khaled Eben al Walid, succeeding to the command, overthrew the Greeks with great slaughter, and brought away abundance of rich spoil; on occasion of which action Mahomet gave him the title of Seif min soyuf Allah, "one of the swords of God."

Mahomet immediately gave orders for preparations to be made that he might surprise the Meccans while they were unprovided to receive him: in a little time he began his march thither; and by that time he came near the city his forces were increased to ten thousand men. Those of Mecca

themselves against so formidable an army, surrendered at discretion, and Abu Sosian saved his life by turning Mahometan. About twenty-eight of the idolaters were killed by a party under the command of Khaled; but this happened contrary to Mahomet's orders, who, when he entered the town, pardoned all the Koreish on their submission, except only six men and four women, who were more obnoxious than ordinary (some of them having apostatized), and were solemnly proscribed by the prophet himself; but of these

no more than three men and one woman were put to death, the rest obtaining pardon on their embracing Mahometism, and one of the women making her escape.

The remainder of this year Mahomet employed in destroying the idols in and round Mecca, sending several of his generals on expeditions for that purpose, and to invite the Arabs to Islamism; wherein it is no wonder if they now met with success.

Thus was Mahometism esta blished, and idolatry rooted out, even in Mahomet's life-time (for he died the next year), throughout all Arabia, except only Yamama, where Moseilama, who set up also for a prophet as Mahomet's competitor, had a great party, and was not reduced till the kalifat of Abu Becr: and the Arabs being then united in one faith, and under one prince, found themselves in a condition of making those conquests which extended the Mahometan faith over so great a part of the world.

The next year, being the ninth of the Hegira, the Mahometans call the year of embassies; for the Arabs had been hitherto I. Mahometans, tenets of the. expecting the issue of the war be- The Mahometans divide their retween Mahomet and the Koreish: ligion into two general parts, but, so soon as that tribe, the faith and practice; of which the principal of the whole nation, and first is divided into six distinct the genuine descendants of Ish- branches: Belief in God, in his mael, whose prerogatives none angels, in his scriptures, in his offered to dispute, had submitted, prophets, in the resurrection and they were satisfied that it was not final judgment, and in God's abin their power to oppose Maho- solute decrees. The points relatand therefore began to come ing to practice are, prayer, with in to him in great numbers, and to washings, &c., alms, fasting, pilsend embassies to make their sub-grimage to Mecca, and circummissions to him, both to Mecca, cision. while he staid there, and also to Medina, whither he returned this year. Among the rest, five kings of the tribe of Hamyar professed Mahometism, and sent ambassadors to notify the same.

met;

In the tenth year Ali was sent into Yaman to propagate the Mahometan faith there; and, as it is said, converted the whole tribe of Hamdan in one day. Their example was quickly followed by all the inhabitants of that province, except only those of Najran, who, being Christians, chose rather to pay tribute.

1.

Of the Mahometan faith. That both Mahomet, and those among his followers who are reckoned orthodox, had and continue to have just and true notions of God and his attributes, appears so plain from the Koran itself, and all the Mahometan divines, that it would be loss of time to refute those who suppose the God of Mahomet to be different from the true God, and only a fictitious deity or idol of his own creation.

2. The existence of angels, and their purity, are absolutely required to be believed in the Ko

ran; and he is reckoned an infi- || Psalms, and Gospel, they say,

have undergone so many alterations and corruptions, that, though there may possibly be some part of the true word of God therein, yet no credit is to be given to the present copies in the hands of the Jews and Christians.

del who denies there are such beings, or hates any of them, or asserts any distinction of sexes among them. They believe them to have pure and subtle bodies, created of fire; that they neither eat nor drink, nor propagate their species; that they have various forms and offices, some adoring God in different postures, others singing praises to him, or interceding for mankind. They hold, that some of them are employed in writing down the actions of to another; among whom 313 men; others in carrying the throne of God, and other services.

3. As to the scriptures, the Mahometans are taught by the Koran, that God, in divers ages of the world, gave revelations of his will in writing to several prophets, the whole and every one of which it is absolutely necessary for a good Moslem to believe. The number of these sacred books were, according to them, one hundred and four; of which ten were given to Adam, fifty to Seth, thirty to Edris or Enoch, ten to Abraham; and the other four, being the Pentateuch, the Psalms, the Gospel, and the Koran, were successively delivered to Moses, David, Jesus, and Mahomet: which last being the seal of the prophets, those revelations are now closed, and no more are to be expected. All these divine books, except the four last, they agree to be now entirely lost, and their contents unknown; though the Sabians have several books which they attribute to some of the antediluvian prophets. And of those four, the Pentateuch,

4. The number of the prophets which have been from time to time sent by God into the world, amounts to no less than 224,000, according to one Mahometan tradition; or to 124,000, according

were apostles, sent with special commissions to reclaim mankind from infidelity and superstition; and six of them brought new laws or dispensations, which successively abrogated the preceding: these were Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mahomet. Al the prophets in general the Mahometans believe to have been free from great sins and errors of consequence, and professors of one and the same religion, that is, Islam, notwithstanding the different laws and institutions which they observed. They allow of degrees among them, and hold some of them to be more excellent and honourable than others. The first place they give to the revealers and establishers of new dispensations, and the next to the apostles.

In this great number of prophets they not only reckon divers patriarchs and persons named in scripture, but not recorded to have been prophets (wherein the Jewish and Christian writers have sometimes led the way), as Adam, Seth, Lot, Ishmael, Nun, Jo

shua, &c., and introduce some of them under different names, as Enoch, Heber, and Jethro, who are called, in the Koran, Edris, Hud, and Shoaib: but several others whose very names do not appear in scripture (though they endeavour to find some persons there to fix them on), as Saleh, Khedr, Dhu'lkefl, &c.

5. The belief of a general resurrection and a future judg

ment.

equalleth the weight of an ant, God
will, of his mercy, cause it to be
doubled unto him, that he may be
admitted into paradise; but if, on
the contrary, his good works be
exhausted, and there remain evil
works only, and there be any who
have not yet received satisfaction
from him, God will order that an
equal weight of their sins be added
unto his, that he may be punished
for them in their stead, and he will
be sent to hell laden with both.
This will be the method of God's
dealing with mankind.
As to
brutes, after they shall have like-

The time of the resurrection the Mahometans allow to be a perfect secret to all but God alone; the angel Gabriel himself acknow-wise taken vengeance of one anledging his ignorance in this point, other, he will command them to when Mahomet asked him about be changed into dust; wicked it. However, they say, the ap- men being reserved to more grievproach of that day may be known ous punishment, so that they shall from certain signs which are to cry out, on hearing this sentence precede it. passed on the brutes, Would to God that we were dust also! As to the genii, many Mahometans are of opinion that such of them as are true believers will undergo the same fate as the irrational animals, and have no other reward than the favour of being converted into dust: and for this they quote the authority of their prophet.

After examination is past (the account of which is too long and tedious for this place), and every one's works weighed in a just balance, they say, that mutual retaliation will follow, according to which every creature will take vengeance one of another, or have satisfaction made them for the injuries which they have suffered. And, since there will then be no other way of returning like for like, the manner of giving this satisfaction will be by taking away a proportional part of the good works of him who offered the injury, and adding it to those of him who suffered it. Which being done, if the angels (by whose mi-bic Al Sirat, which, they say, is nistry this is to be performed) say, laid over the midst of hell, and Lord, we have given to every one describe to be finer than a hair, his due, and there remaineth of and sharper than the edge of a this person's good works so much as sword; so that it seems very diffi

The trials being over, and the assembly dissolved, the Mahometans hold, that those who are to be admitted into paradise will take the right hand way, and those who are destined to hell fire will take the left: but both of them must first pass the bridge called in Ara