tion the next day; and when they were come, he made them the following
fpeech; “ I know no man in all Arabia who can offer his kindred a
“ more excellent thing than I now do you: I offer you happinefs both in
“ this life, and in that which is to come-, G od Almighty hath com-
“ manded me to call you unto him; Who therefore among you will be
“ ajjijling to me herein, and become my brother, and my vice-gerent ?”
All of them hefitating, and declining the matter, AH at length rofe
up, and declared that he would be his affiftant; and vehemently
threatned thofe who Ihould oppofe him. Mohammed upon this embraced
jjpr with great demonftrations of affection, and defired all who-
were prefent to hearken to and obey him, as his deputy; at which
the company broke out into great laughter, telling Abu Taleb, that
he muft now pay obedience to his fon.
The Kb- This repulfe however was fo far from difcouraging Mohammed, that
pofhhim, he began to preach in public to the people, who heard him with
I fome patience, till he came to upbraid them with the idolatry, obfti-
nacy, and perverfenefs of themfelves and their fathers; which fo
highly provoked them, that they declared themfelves his enemies,
and would foon have procured his ruin, had he not been protected
by Abu I ’aleb. The chief of the Koreijh warmly follicited this per-
fon to defert his nephew, making frequent remonftrances againft the
innovations he was attempting; which proving ineffectual, they at
length threatned him with an open rupture, if he did not prevail on
Mohammed to defift. At this Abu Taleb was fo far moved that he.
earneftly diffuaded his nephew from purfuing the affair any farther,
reprefenting the great danger he and his friends muft otherwife run.
But Mohammed was not to be intimidated, telling his uncle plainly,
' that i f they fe t the fun againjl him on his right hand, and the moon on
his left, he would not leave his enterprize : and Abu If aleb feeing him
fo firmly refolved to proceed, ufed no further arguments, but pro-
mifed to ftand by him againft all his enemies '.
And per-. The Koreijh finding they could prevail neither by fair words nor
ShHp I menaces, tried what they could do by force, and ill treatment; uftng
0 owe ‘ Mohammed’s followers fo very injurioufly that it was not fafe for them
to continue at Mecca any longer; whereupon Mohammed gave leave
to fuch of them as had not friends to proteCt them, to feek for refuge
elfewhere. And accordingly in the fifth year of the prophet’s
million, fixteen of them, four of whom were women, fled into E-
thiopia; and among them Othman Ebn Affdn and his wife Rakiah, Mo -
J Abulfeda ubi fupra.
hammed’s daughter. This was the firft flight; but afterwards feveral
others followed them, retiring one after another, to the number of
eighty three men and eighteen women, befides children ‘. Thefe
refugees were kindly received by the Najdjhi % or king of Ethiopia,
who refufed to. deliver them up to thofe whom the Koreijh fent to
demand them, and as the Arab writers unanimoufly atteft, even pro-
feffed the Mohammedan religion.
In the fixth year of his million | Mohammed had the pleafure of
feeing his party ftrengthened by the’ eonverfion of his uncle Hamza, a
man of great valour and merit, and of Omar Ebn al Khattab, a per-
fon highly efteemed, and once a violent oppofer of the prophet.
As perfecution generally advances rather than obftru&s the fpreading
of a religion, Ifamifm made fo great a progrefs among the Arab
tribes, that the Koreijh, to fupprefs it effectually, if poffible, in the
feventh year of Mohammed's million made a folemn league or covenant
againft the Hajhemites and the family of Abd'almotalleb, engaging
themfelves to contract no marriages with any o f them, and
to have no communication with them; and to give it the greater
fanCtion, reduced it into writing, and laid it up in the Caaba. Upon
this the tribe became divided into two factions; and the family
of Hajhem all repaired to Abu I ’aleb, as their head; except only
Abd’al Uzza, furnamed Abu Laheb, who out of his inveterate
hatred to his nephew and his doCtrine, went over to the oppofite
party, whofe chief was Abu Sofdn Ebn Harb, of the family of
Ommeya.
The families continued thus at variance for three years; but in-
the tenth year of his million, Mohammed told his uncle Abu I ’aleb,
that G od had manifeftly Ihewed his difapprobation of the league
which the Koreiff had made againft them, by fending a worm to eat
out every word of the inftrument, except the name of G o d . O f this accident
Mohammed had probably fome private notice; for Abu ‘I ’aleb went
immediately to the Koreijh and acquainted them with i t ; offering, i f it
proved falfe, to deliver his nephew up to them ; but in cafe it were
true, he infilled that they ought to lay afide their animofity, and annuli
the league they had made againft the Hajhemites. To this they
acquiefced, and going to infpeCt the writing, to their great aftonilh-
ment found it to be as Abu l"aleb had faid; and the league was
thereupon declared void.
1 Idem, Ebn Shohnah. * Dr. Prideaux feems to take this word for a proper name, but it is
only the title the Arabs give to every king of this country.- See his life.of Mob. p. 55. 3 Ebn
Shohnah. 4 Al Jannabi.