Although some portion of Arabia has been temporarily brought under the yoke of the foreign invader, the conquest of that country has never been entirely achieved, even by the most powerful nations. The subjugation of Arabia was, indeed, amongst the numerous and gigantic schemes which Alexander projected at Babylon; but his death occurred before the preparations for that expedition had been fully completed. In the reign of Caligula, the Roman eagle was advanced into Yemen, but the attempt at its reduction was unsuccessful, and in disease and lassitude the invading legions melted away. The poets, who adorned the court of Augustus, have added their testimony to this national freedom of the Arabians. Horace' speaks of the hitherto unconquered princes of Saba; and Propertius thus addresses the Emperor himself: India quin, Auguste, tuo dat colla Triumpho, Et domus intactæ te tremit Arabiæ 2. The Arabian language is derived from the same original stock with the Hebrew, the Syriac, and the Chaldæan tongues. There were peculiar dialects among the different tribes, but in that of the Koreish was preserved the pure and perspicuous idiom of the country. The Cufic letters, the groundwork of the present alphabet, were invented on the banks of the Euphrates, and the recent invention was not brought to perfection until nearly four centuries after the birth of Mahomet. The patriarchal doctrine of One Supreme God, was, even down to the times of Mahomet, distinctly 1 Lib. I. Carm. xxix. Non ante devictis Sabææ Regibus. 2 Lib. II. Eleg. 10. recognized in Arabia'. The prayer used by the ancient Arabs when addressing the Allah Taâla, or "Most High God," has been preserved by Shahrestani;-"Cultui tuo me dedo, O Deus, cultui tuo me dedo. Non est tibi socius, nisi socius quem tu possides et una quicquid ille possidet." The religion of the Arabs comprehended also the adoration of the Sun, Moon, and fixed Stars, but the Caaba was filled with idols; and the grosser worship of fantastic images and emblems disfigured this natural superstition of a race who, during their wanderings through vast deserts, in the deep stillness of night, and under the clear and lucid firmament, contemplated the mysterious splendour, and were guided in their course by the regular motion, of the heavenly bodies. Nor were an imaginative people without a gleam of that pure and more sublime principle of religion which is involved in the existence of a future state; and some fancies of the Arabs about the transmigration of souls, as well as the custom of leaving a camel to perish on the grave of the master, who might require his services in another world, attested their belief of a general resur rection : The funeral rites were duly paid, Together they might rise3. Other forms of religion had, however, been brought into Arabia before Mahomet appeared. The Persians had, by their vicinity and intercourse with the The prevalence of the belief in the Divine Unity, among the pagan Arabs, to the time of Mahomet inclusive, may be deduced from the very curious romance of Antar, which has been before referred to. 3 2 Shahrestani, ap. Pocock. Specim. Notæ, p. 111. Oxon. 1806. Southey, Thalaba. Arabians, introduced the Magian religion among some of their tribes. Persia, too, had groaned above five hundred years under a foreign yoke, and some of the disciples of Zoroaster had, in Arabia, sought the freedom of the Desert. Seven hundred years before the death of Mahomet the Jews were also settled in the same country; and at the destruction of Jerusalem by the armies of Titus, many escaped thither from the ruin and desolation which enveloped their Holy City. The persecutions to which the early Christian Church was exposed, compelled very many of the Christians to retire beyond the limits of the Roman Empire; and some of the Arabian tribes embraced the doctrines of Christianity, which were thus made known to them. These were the principal religions which prevailed amongst the ancient Arabs: but, as freedom of thought was the natural consequence of their political liberty and independence, some of them differed still further in their religious opinions. The tribe of Koreish, in particular, was infected with Zendicism: the peculiarities of which belief are said to be not greatly at variance with the opinions entertained by the Sadducees and the Deists. The worship of one God, and a freedom from idolatry, distinguished many families of that tribe even before the times of Mahomet1. Mahomet was born at Mecca, during the latter half of the sixth century, but the precise year of his birth has not been satisfactorily ascertained. He was descended from the house of Haschem, of the tribe of Koreish, which, among all the Arabian com "The period is undecided between the years 569, 570, 571, of the Christian æra. munities, was held in the greatest estimation and honour. To the families of this tribe alone the office of guarding the Caaba was intrusted, and with the religious, they secured the temporal supremacy of the metropolis of Arabia. At the commencement of the sixth century Haschem was their reigning pontiff and prince. His son, Abdol Motalleb, succeeded him in those distinguished offices; and Abdallah (the youngest son of the last-mentioned prince), who had married Amina, a lady of Jewish birth, was the father of that extraordinary man whose career we are about very briefly to describe. The patrimony of Abdallah was small, and had not been improved by commerce into wealth. His death happened during the infancy of Mahomet, and, on the division of his inheritance, the share of the future lord of Arabia consisted of only five camels and one Ethiopian female slave. His mother, Amina, died also in the early youth of Mahomet, and the care of the orphan was consigned to his grandfather Abdol Motalleb; at whose death, which happened shortly afterwards, Mahomet became a member of the family of his uncle, Abu Taleb, the eldest son of Abdol Motalleb, and his successor in the dignities of pontiff of the Temple, and prince of Mecca. By him, Mahomet was instructed in the arts of war and trade; he accompanied him to the fairs of Syria, and fought with him in the conflicts of the Arabian tribes. But he remained in comparative obscurity until the age of twenty-five, when he married Cadijah, a rich and noble widow of Mecca, whose commercial transactions he had for some time conducted. The succeeding fifteen years of the life of Mahomet are involved in deep obscurity. We are told that in a lonely cave, in the recesses of mount Hara, he indulged a love of solitude; and there, perhaps, he formed the great and hazardous project which was afterwards to raise him to equivocal renown. When the time which he had chosen for the commencement of his mission had approached, he withdrew in silence to the solitary cave, which had been the usual place of his retirement. Here he pretended that the Divine commands were first communicated to him with the most awful solemnity'; and here he received his great commission, as the Prophet and Apostle of God, by the hands of Gabriel, the glorious messenger of the Most High. The tale of the pretended revelation was first related by Mahomet to his wife, who became his first convert; and her cousin, Warakah-bin-Nawfal, recognized him as a messenger from heaven predicted by Moses. The next on the list of true believers were Zeid, a slave of Mahomet, to whom he gave his freedom, and Ali, the son of his uncle, Abu Taleb. The conversion of these was followed by that of Abubeker, and some of the other principal men of Mecca. Thus passed away the first three years of Mahomet's pretended mission. He then proceeded with greater publicity. His first public declaration was made at a festive assembly, and was there received with marks of derision. "Who among you,” he exclaimed, "will support my burden? among you will be my companion and my Vizir2?” In the midst of the general silence which prevailed, Ali replied, "O Prophet, I will be thy Vizir over Who 1 "Donec adveniente illa nocte, qua Deus gloriosus summo illum honore affecit, venit ad eum Gabriel, cui Pax, et dixit: Lege." Cap. vii. De Missione Apostoli Dei. Ismael Abu'l-Feda De vita et rebus gestis Mohammedis. Arab. et. Lat. Fol. Oxon. 1723. 2 Wezer or Vizir. This word denotes properly, the Carrier of a Burden. |