50 The Preliminary Difcourfel Sèâ. II.
convincing proofs that Mohammedifm was no other than a human invention,
that if owed its progrefs and eftablifliment almoft entirely
to the fword ; and it is one of the ftrongeft demonftrations of the
divine original of Chrijlianity, that it prevailed againft all the force
and powers of the world by the meer dint of its own truth, after
having flood the affaults of all manner of perfecutions, as well as o-
ther oppolitions, for three hundred years together, and at length made
the 'Roman emperors themfelves fubmit thereto ' ; after which time
indeed this proof feems to fail, Chrijiianity being then eftablifhed
and Paganifm abolifhed by public authority, which has had great
influence in the propagation of the one and deftruélion of the other
ever fince2. But to return.
Mobam- Mohammed having provided for the fecurity of his companions as
fclytesfly web as bis own> by the league offenfive and defenfive which he had
to Meii- now concluded with thofe of Medina, directed them'to repair thither,
and which they accordingly did; but himfelf with Abu Beer and Alt
confpire ftaid behind, having not yet received the divine permiffion,; as he
to kill pretended, to leave Mecca. The Koreijh fearing the conference of
hlm' this new alliance, began to think it abfolutely neceffary to prevent
Mohammed's efcape to Medina, and having held a council thereon, after
feveral milder expedients had been rejected, they came to a refo-
lution that he fhould be killed ; and agreed that a man fhonld be
chofen out of every tribe for the execution of this defign, and that
each man fhould have a blow at him with his fword, that the guilt
of his blood might fall equally on all the tribes,' to whofe united
power the Hajhemites were much inferior, and therefore durft not attempt
to revenge their kinfman’s death.
But he e- This 'c.onfpiracy was fcarcé formed when by fome means or other
{capes, j t carne t0 Mohammed’s knowledge, and he gave dût that it waS revealed
to him by the angel Gabriel, who had now ordered him to
retire to Medina. Whereupon, to amufe his enemies, he directed A li
to lye down in his place and wrap himfelf up in his green cloak,
which he did, and Mohammed efcaped miraculoufly, as they pretend 3,
to Abu Beer’s houfe, unperceiv’d by the confpirators, who had already
affembled at the prophet’s door. They in the mean time, ! looking
thro’ the crevice and feeing Ali, whom they took to be Mohammed
himfelf, afleep, continued watching there till morning, when A li
arofe and they found themfelves deceived.
1 See Pridéaux's Letter to the Deijïs, p. 220, &c. * See Bayk's Dift Hilt. Art. Mahomet,
Rem. O. 3 See the notes to chap. 8, and 36.
From
Se£t. II. The Preliminary IBifcourfe. 51
From Abu Beer’s houfe Mohammed and he went to a cave in mount And re-
jhur, to the fouth eafl of Mecca, accompanied only by Amer Ebn
Foheirah, Abu Beer’s fervant, and Abd'allah Ebn Oreitah, an idolater,
whom they had hired for a guide. In this cave they lay hid three
days to avoid the fearch of their enemies, which they very narrowly
efcaped, and not without the affiftance of more miracles than one ;
for fome fay that the Koreijh were.ftruck with blindnefs, fo that they
could not find the cave; others, that after Mohammed and his companions
were got in, two pidgeons laid their eggs at the entrance, and
a fpider covered the mouth of the cave with her web which made
them look no farther 2. Abu Beer feeing the prophet in fuch imminent
danger became very forrowful, vihsrentpon Mohammed comforted
him with thefe words, recorded in the Koran 3, Be not grieved, for
G od is with us. Their enemies being retired, they left the cave and
fet out for Medina, by a by-road, and having fortunately, or as the
Mohammedans tell us, miraculoufly, efcaped fome who were fent to
purfue them, arrived fafely at that city; whither A li followed them
in three days, after he had fettled fome affairs at Mecca *.
The firft thing Mohammed did after his arrival at Medina, was to Builds a
build a temple for his religious worfhip ; and a houfe for himfelf,
which he did on a parcel of ground which had before ferved to put there,
camels in, or as others tell us, for a burying ground, and belonged
to Sahal and Soheil the fons of Amru, who were orphans r. This
action Dr. Prideaux exclaims againft, reprefenting it as a flagrant in-
flance of injuftice, for that, fays he, he violently difpoffeffed thefe
poor orphans, the fons of an inferior artificer (whom the author he
quotes 6 calls a carpenter) of this ground, and fo founded the firft fabric
of his worfhip with the like wickednefs as he did his religion %'
But to fay nothing of the improbability that Mohammed fhould aft
in fo impolitic a manner at his firft coming, the Mohammedan writers
fet this affair in a quite different light ; one tells us that he treated
with the lads about the price of the ground, but they defired he
would accept it as a prefent8; however, as hiftorians of good credit
allure us, he actually bought it ’ , and the money was paid by Abu
1 It is obfervable that the Jews have a like tradition concerning David, when he fled from Saul
into the cave s and the Targum paraphrafes thefe words of'the fecond verfe of Pfalrn ivii, (which
was compofed on occafion of that deliverance) ƒ will pray before the mojl high G od th a t performeth
all things for me, inthis manner j tw ill fray before the mojl high G o d , who called a fpider to weave
a web for my fake in the mouth of the cave. 1 A1 Beidawi in Kor. c. 9. V. D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient
p. 44;. 3 Cap. 9. + Abulfeda Vit. Moh, p. 50,- &c. Ebn Shohnah. * Abuifeda, ib. p.
52, 53. 6 Difputatio Chriftiani contra Saracen, c. 4. 7 Prideaux'tsliSe of Mahomet, p. c8.
s A1 Bokhari in Sonna. 9 A1 Jannabi.
h 2 Beer