they fwallowed for miracles, and particularly by caufing the appearance
of a moon to rife out of a well for many nights together;
whence he was alfo called, in the Perfan tongue, Sdzendeh mah, or
the moon-maker. This impious impoftor, not content with being reputed
a prophet, arrogated divine honours to himfelf, pretending
that the deity refided in his . perfon: and the dodrine whereon he
built this, was the fame with that of the Ghola'ites abovementioned,
who affirmed a tranfmigration or fucceffive manifeftation of the divinity
through and in certain prophets and holy men, from Adam to
thefe latter days, (of which opinion was alfo Abu Mojlem himfelf 1;)
but the particular dodtrine of al Mokanna was, that the perfon in
whom the deity had laft refided, was the aforefaid Abu Mojlem, and
that the fame had, fince his death, patted into himfelf. The faction
of al Mokanna, who had made himfelf matter of feveral fortified
places in the neighbourhood of the cities abovementioned,
growing daily more and more powerful, the K halif was at length
obliged to fend an army to reduce him ; at the approach whereof al
Mokanna retired into one of his ftrongeft fortrefles, which he had
well provided for a liege, and fent his emiflaries abroad to perfuide
people that he raifed the dead to life, and knew future events. But being
ftraitly befieged by the K halif's forces, when he found there was
no poflibility for him to efcape, he gave poifon in wine to his
whole family and all that were with him in the cattle, and' when
they were dead he burnt their bodies, together with their cloaths and
all the provifions, and cattle ; and then, to prevent his own body’s
being found, he threw himfelf into the flames, or, as others fay,
into a tub of aqua fortis, or fome other preparation, which con-
fumed every part of him, except only his hair: fo that when the
befiegers entred the place they found no creature in it, fave one of
al Mokanna'i concubines, who, fufpedting his defign, had hid her-
felfi and difcovered the whole matter. This contrivance, however,
failed not to produce the eflfedt which the impoftor defigned among
the remaining part o f his followers; for he had promifed them
that his foul fhould tranfmigrate into the form of a grey-headed
man, riding on a greyifh beaft, and that after fo many years, he
would return to them, and give them the earth for their pofleflion:
the expectation of which promife kept the fed! in being for feveral
| This explains a doubt of Mr. JSfalt concerning a paflage of Elmacims, as translated by Er-
E.a” d corraaed H p M r . V. Bayle, Dift. Hift, Art. ' Abmujlims, vers la. fin, &
ages
ages after r, under the name of Mobeyyidites, or, as the Perfans call
them Sefd jdmehghidn, i. e. the cloathed in white, becaufe they wore
their garments of that colour, in oppofition, as is fuppofed, to the
Khalifs of the family of Abbas, whofe banners and habits were
black. The hiftorians place the death of al Mokanna in the i62d,
or 163d year of the Hejra z.
In the year of the, Hejra 20 x, Babec, furnamed al Khorremi, and Of Baler
Khorremdin, either becaufe he was of a certain diftrid near Ardebil alf bQrrt-
in Adherbijdn, called Khorrem, or becaufe be inftituted a merry religion,
which is the fignification of the word in Perfian, began to take
on him the title of a prophet. I do not find what dodtrine he
taught; but it is faid he profefled none of the religions then known
in Afa. He gained a great number of devotees in Adherbijdn and
the Perfian Irak, and grew powerful enough to wage war with the
Khalif al Mamun, whofe troops he often beat, killing feveral
of his generals, and one of them with his own hand; and by
thefe vidories he became fo formidable that al Motafem, the fuccef-
for of al Mamun, was obliged to employ the forces of the whole empire
againft him. The general fent to reduce Babec was Affhid, who
having overthrown him in battle, took his cattles one after another
with invincible patience, notwithftanding the rebels gave him great
annoyance, and at laft fhut up the impoftor in his principal fortrefs; which
being taken, Babec found means to efcape thence in difguife, with fome
of his family and principal followers; but taking refuge in the territories
of the Greeks, was betrayed in the following manner. Sahel,
an Armenian officer, happening to know Babec, enticed him, by offers
o f fervice and refped, into his power, and treated him as a
mighty prince, till, when he fat down to eat, Sahel clapt himfelf
down by him ; at which Babec being furprized, a Iked him how he-
dared to take that liberty unalked ? I t is true, great king, replied Sahel,
1 have committed a fa u lt; for who am 1, that I Jhould f t at
your majejly s table ? And immediately fending for a fmith, he made-
ufe of this bitter farcafm, Stretch forth your legs, great king, that this
man may put fetters on them. After this Sahel fent him to Affhid
tho’ he had offered a large fum for his liberty, having firft ferved
him in his own kind, by caufing his mother, fitter, and wife, to.
1 They were a fe£t in the days of Abu'lfaragius, who lived above five hundred years after
this extraordinary event; and may, for .ought I know, befo^ftill.' * Ex Abu’lfarag. Hifh.
•Dyn. p. 226. Lobb al Tawarikh, Ebn Shohnah, al Tabari, & Khondamir. V. D’Herbel. Bibl.
Orient. Art. Hakem Ben Hafchem.
be