Birth and education of

/ Mahomet,

and it was habit rather than conviction that ftill attached them to the relics of idolatry. The Jews and Chriftians were the people of the book; the bible was already tranflated into the Arabic language (62), and the volume of the old teftament was accepted by the concord of thefe implacable enemies. In the ftory of the Hebrew patriarchs, the Arabs were pleased to discover the fathers of their nation. They applauded the birth and promifes of Ifmael; revered the faith and virtue of Abraham; traced his pedigree and their own to the creation of the first man, and imbibed with equal credulity, the prodigies of the holy text, and the dreams and traditions of the Jewish rabbis.

The bafe and plebeian origin of Mahomet is an unfkilful calumny of the Christians (63), A. D. who exalt instead of degrading the merit of 569-609. their adverfary. His defcent from Ifmael was a

national privilege or fable; but if the first steps of the pedigree (64) are dark and doubtful, he could produce many generations of pure and genuine nobility: he fprung from the tribe of

(62) Our verfions now extant, whether Jewish or Christian, appear more recent than the Koran; but the existence of a prior translation may be fairly inferred, 1. From the perpetual practife of the fynagogue, of expounding the Hebrew leffon by a paraphrafe in the vulgar tongue of the country. 2. From the analogy of the Armenian, Perfian, Æthiopic verfions, exprefsly quoted by the fathers of the fifth century, who affert that the Scriptures were tranflated into all the Barbaric languages (Walton, Prolegomena ad Biblia Polyglot. p. 34 93--97. Simon, Hift. Critique du V. et du N. Teftament, tom. I. p. 180, 181, 282-286, 293, 305, 306. tom. iv. p. 206 ).

(63) In eo conveniunt omnes, ut plebeio vilique genere ortum, &c. (Hottinger, Hift. Orient. p. 136.). Yet Theophanes, the most ancient of the Greeks, and the father of many a lie, confeffes that Mahomet was of the race of Imael, εκ μιας γενικωτατης φυλης (Chronograph. p. 277.).

I

(64) Abulfeda (in Vit. Mohammed. c. 1, 2.) and Gagnier (Vie de Mahomet, p. 25-7.) defcribe the popular and approved genealogy of the prophet. At Mecca, I would not difpute its authenticity; at Laufanne, I will venture to observe, 1. That from Ifmael to Mahomet, a period of 2500 years, they reckon thirty, inftead of seventy-five, generations. 2. That the modern Bedoweens are ignorant of their hiftory and careless of their pedigree (Voyage de d'Arvieux, p. 100, 103.).

Koreish

Koreish and the family of Hafhem, the most illuftrious of the Arabs, the prince of Mecca, and the hereditary guardians of the Caaba. The grandfather of Mahomet was Abdol Motalleb, the fon of Hafhem, a wealthy and generous citizen, who relieved the diftrefs of famine with the fupplies of commerce. Mecca which had been fed by the liberality of the father, was faved by the courage of the fon. The kingdom of Yemen was fubject to the Chriftian princes of Abyffinia; their vaffal Abrahah was provoked by an infult to avenge the honour of the cross; and the holy city was invefted by a train of elephants and an army of Africans. A treaty was propofed; and in the firft audience, the grandfather of Mahomet demanded the reftitution of his cattle. "And why," said Abrahah," do you not rather implore my clemency in favour "of your temple, which I have threatened to "deftroy?" "Because," replied the intrepid chief," the cattle is my own; the Caaba be"longs to the gods, and they will defend their "houfe from injury and facrilege." The want of provifions, or the valour of the Koreish, compelled the Abyffinians to a difgraceful retreat; their difcomfiture has been adorned with a miraculous flight of birds, who showered down ftones on the heads of the infidels; and the de- Deliverance liverance was long commemorated by the æra of the elephant (65). The glory of Abdol Mo

1

(65) The feed of this history, or fable, is contained in the cvth chapter of the Koran; and Gagnier (in Præfat. ad Vit. Moham. p. 18, &c.) has tranflated the hiftorical narrative of Abulfeda, which may be illuf trated from d'Hertelot (Bibliot. Orientale, p. 12.), and Pocock (Specimen, p. 64.). Prideaux (Life of Mahomet, p. 48.) calls it a lie of the coinage of Mahomet; but Sale (Koran, p. 501-503.), who is half a Musulman, attacks the inconfiftent faith of the Doctor for believing the miracles of the Delphic Apollo. Maracci (Alcoran, tom. i. part ii. p. 14. tom. ii. p. 823.) afcribes the miracle to the devil, and extorts from the Mahometans the confeffion, that God would not have defended against the Chriftians the idols of the Caaba.

talleb

of Mecca.

talleb was crowned with domeftic happiness, his life was prolonged to the age of one hundred and ten years, and he became the father of fix daughters and thirteen fons. His best beloved Abdallah was the moft beautiful and modeft of the Arabian youth; and in the first night, when he confummated his marriage with Amina, of the noble race of the Zahrites, two hundred virgins are faid to have expired of jealousy and despair. Mahomet, or more properly Mohammed, the only fon of Abdallah and Amina, was born at Mecca, four years after the death of Juftinian, and two months after the defeat of the Abyffinians (66), whofe victory would have introduced into the Caaba the religion of the Chriftians. In his early infancy, he was deprived of his father, his mother, and his grandfather; his uncles were strong and numerous; and in the divifion of the inheritance, the orphan's share was reduced to five camels and an Ethiopian maidfervant. At home and abroad, in peace and war, Abu Taleb, the moft refpectable of his uncles, was the guide and guardian of his youth in his twenty-fifth year, he entered into the fervice of Cadijah, a rich and noble widow of Mecca, who foon rewarded his fidelity with the gift of her hand and fortune. The marri, age-contract, in the fimple ftyle of antiquity, recites the mutual love of Mahomet and Cadijah; defcribes him as the moft accomplished of the tribe of Koreifh, and ftipulates a dowry of

(66) The safest æras of Abulfeda (in Vit. c. i. p. 2.), of Alexander, or the Greeks, 882, of Bocht Nafer, or Nabonasser, 1316, equally lead us to the year 569. The old Arabian calendar is too dark and uncertain to fupport the Benedictines (Art de vérifier les Dates, p. 15), who from the day of the month and week deduce a new mode of calculation, and remove the birth of Mahomet to the year of Chrift 570, the 10th of November. Yet this date would agree with the year 882 of the Greeks, which is affigned by Elmacin (Hift. Saracen. p. 5) and Abulpharagius (Dynaft. p. 101. and Errata Pocock's verfion). While we refine our chronology, it is poffible that the illiterate prophet was ignorant of his own age.

twelve ounces of gold and twenty camels, which was fupplied by the liberality of his uncle (67). By this alliance, the son of Abdallah was restored to the ftation of his ancestors; and the judicious matron was content with his domeftic virtues, till, in the fortieth year of his age (68), he affumed the title of a prophet, and proclaimed the religion of the Koran.

tions of the

According to the tradition of his companions, QualificaMahomet (69) was diftinguished by the beauty prophet. of his perfon, an outward gift which is feldom defpifed, except by those to whom it has been refused. Before he fpoke, the orator engaged on his fide the affections of a public or private. audience. They applauded his commanding prefence, his majestic afpect, his piercing eye, his gracious fmile, his flowing beard, his countenance that painted every fenfation of the foul, and his gestures that enforced each expreffion of the tongue. In the familiar offices of life he fcrupulously adhered to the grave and ceremonious politeness of his country: his respectful attention to the rich and powerful was dignified by his condefcenfion and affability to the poorest citizens of Mecca: the frankness of his manner

(67) I copy the honourable testimony of Abu Taleb to his family and nephew. Laus Deo, qui nos a ftirpe Abrahami et femine Ifmaelis conftituit, et nobis regionem facram dedit, et nos judices hominibus ftatuit. Porro Mohammed filius Abdollahi nepotis mei (nepos meus) quo cum ex æquo librabitur e Koraifhidis quifpiam cui non præponderaturus eft, bonitate et excellentiâ, et intellectu et gloria et acumine etfi opum inops fuerit (et certe opes umbra tranfiens funt et depofitum quod reddi debet), defiderio Chadijæ filiæ Chowailedi tenetur, et illa viciffim ipfius, quicquid autem dotis vice petieritis, ego in me fufcipiam (Pocock, Specimen, e feptimâ parte libri Ebn Hamduni).

(68) The private life of Mahomet, from his birth to his miffion, is preserved by Abulfeda (in Vit. c. 3-7.), and the Arabian writers of genuine or apocryphal note, who are alledged by Hottinger (Hift. Orient. p. 204-211.), Maracci (tom. i. p. 10-14), and Gagnier (Vie de Mahomet, tom. i. p. 97-134.).

(69) Abulfeda, in Vit. c. lxv, lxvi. Gagnier, Vie de Mahomet, tom. iii. p. 272-289; the best traditions of the perfon and converfation of the prophet are derived from Ayesha, Ali and Abu Horaira (Gagnier, tom. ii p. 267. Ockley's Hift. of the Saracens, vol. ii. p. 149.), furnamed the father of a cat, who died in the year 59 of the Hegira.

concealed

concealed the artifice of his views; and the habits of courtesy were imputed to personal friendship or univerfal benevolence. His memory was capacious and retentive, his wit easy and focial, his imagination fublime, his judgment clear, rapid, and decifive. He poffeffed the courage both of thought and action; and, although his defigns might gradually expand with his fuccefs, the firft idea which he entertained of his divine miffion bears the ftamp of an original and fuperior genius. The fon of Abdallah was educated in the bofom of the noblest race, in the ufe of the pureft dialect of Arabia; and the fluency of his fpeech was corrected and enhanced by the practice of difcreet and feasonable filence. With thefe powers of eloquence, Mahomet was an illiterate Barbarian: his youth had never been inftructed in the arts of reading and writing (70); the common ignorance exempted him from fhame and reproach, but he was reduced to a narrow circle of exiftence, and deprived of those faithful mirrors, which reflect to our mind the minds of fages and heroes. Yet the book of nature and of man was open to his view; and fome fancy has been indulged in the political and philofophical obfervations which are afcribed

(70) Thofe who believe that Mahomet could read or write, are incapable of reading what is written, with another pen, in the Surats, or chapters of the Koran vii. xxix. xcvi. These texts, and the tradition of the Sonna, are admitted, without doubt, by Abulfeda (in Vit. c. vii.) Gagnier (Not. ad Abulfed. p. 15.), Pocock (Specimen, p. 151.), Reland (de Religione Mohammedicâ, p. 236.), and Sale (Preliminary Difcourse, P. 42.). Mr White, almost alone, denies the ignorance, to accufe the impolture, of the prophet. His arguments are far from fatisfactory. Two fhort trading journies to the fairs of Syria, were furely not fufficient to infu'e a science so rare among the citizens of Mecca: it was not in the cool deliberate act of a treaty, that Mahomet would have dropt the mafk; nor can any conclufion be drawn from the words of disease and delirium. The lettered youth, before he afpired to the prophetic character, must have often exercised, in private life, the arts of reading and writing; and his first converts, of his own family, would have been the first to detect and upbraid his fcandalous hypocrify (White's Sermons, p. 203, 204. Notes, p. xxxvi-xxxviii.).

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