The pro- Majdb, being arrived at Medina,' by the affiftance of thofe who
Ahbfme- had been formerly converted, gained feveral profelytes, particularly
dijm at OJaid Ebn Hodeira, a chief man of the city, and Saad Ebn Moadh,
Medina. prjnce 0f t}le tribe of Aws-, Mohammedifm fpreading fo faft, that
there was fcarce a houfe wherein there were not fome who had embraced
it.
■ Several of The next year, being the thirteenth of Mohammed’s million, Maf-
that city _ab returned to Mecca, accompanied by feventy three men and lwo women
.ddity to ° f Medina who had profeffed IJlamiJm, befides fome others who were as
Moham- yet unbelievers. On their arrival, they immediately fent to Mohammcd
med, and offered him their affiftance, of which he was now in great
need, for his adverfaries were by this time grown fo powerful in
Mecca, that he could not ftay there much longer without imminent
danger. Wherefore he accepted their propofal, and met them one
-night, by appointment, at al Akaba above mentioned, attended by
his uncle al Abbas, who, tho’ he was not then a "believer, wiffied his
•nephew well, and made a fpeech to thofe of Medina, wherein he
told them, that as Mohammed was obliged to quit his native city, and
feek an ajylum elfewhere, and they had offered him their protection,
■ they would do well not to deceive him; and that if they were not
firmly refolved to defend and not betray him, they had better declare
their minds, and let him provide for his fafety in fome other manner.
Upon their protefting their fincerity, Mohammed fwore to be faithful
to them;, on condition that they Ihould protedt him againft all in-
fults, as heartily as they would their own wives and families. They
-then a Iked him what recompenfe they were to expeff if they Ihould
happen to be killed in his quarrel; he anfwered, paradife. Whereupon
they pledged their faith to him, and fo returned home H after
Mohammed had chofen twelve out of their number, who were to have
the fame authority among them as the twelve apoftles of Chrijl had
among his difciples V
He pre- Hitherto Mohammed had propagated his religion by fair means, fo
havtkave that the whole fuccefs of his enterprize before his flight to Medina,
to defend muft be attributed to perfuafion only, and not to compulfion. For
iimfelf. before this fecond oath of fealty or inauguration at al Akaba, he had
no permiffion to ufe any force at all; and in feveral places of the
Koran, which he pretended were revealed during his ftay at Mecca,
he declares his bufinefs was only to preach and admonifh, that he
had no authority to compel any perfon to embrace his religion ; and
that whether people believed, or not, was none of his concern, but
belonged folely unto G od. And he was fo far from allowing his
followers to ufe force, that he exhorted them to bear patiently thofe
injuries which were offered them on account o f their faith; and
when perfecuted himfelf, chofe rather to quit the place of his birth
and retire to Medina, than to make any refiftance. But this greac
paffivenefs and moderation feems entirely owing to his want o f power,
and the great fuperiority of his oppofers for the firft twelve years
of his million ; for no fooner was he enabled, by the affiftance of thofe
of Medina, to make head againft his enemies, than he gave out, that
G od had allowed him and his followers to defend themfelves againft
the infidels; and at length as his forces increafed, he pretended to
have the divine leave even to attack them; and to deftroy idolatry,
and fet up the true faith by the fword; finding, by experience, that
his defigns would otherwife proceed very llowly, i f they were not
utterly overthrown; and knowing on the other hand that innovators,
when they depend folely on their own ftrength, and can compel,
feldom run any rifque; from whence, the politician obferves, it follows,
that all the armed prophets have fucceeded, and the unarmed
ones have failed. Mofes, Cyrus, The/eus, and Romulus would not have
been able to eftablilh the obfervance of their inftitutions for any length
of time, had they not been armed '. The firft pallage o f the Koran
which gave Mohammed the permiffion of defending himfelf by arms,
is faid to have been that in the twenty fecond chapter; after which
a great number to the fame purpofe were revealed.
That Mohammed had a right to take up arms for his own defence
againft his unjuft perfecutors, may perhaps be allowed; but whether
he ought afterwards to have made ufe of that means for the efta-
blifhing of his religion is a queftion I will not here determine. How
far the fecular power may or ought to interpofe in affairs of this nature,
mankind are not agreed. The method of converting by the
fword, gives no very favourable idea of the faith which is fo propagated,
and is difallowed by every body in thofe o f another religion,
tho’ the fame perfons are willing to admit of it for the advancement
of their own; fuppofing that tho’ a falfe religion ought
not to be eftabliffied by authority, yet a true one may; and accordingly
force is almoft as conftantly employed in thefe cafes by thofe
who have the power in their hands, as it is conftantly complained of
by thofe who fuffer the violence. It is certainly one of the mod
? Machiavelli, Princ. C. 6.
h