O f war
againft in*
fidels.
call it) which takes place in the fecular courts, and has the executive
power on its fide
Under the head of civil laws, may be comprehended the injunc-
' tion of warring againft infidels, which is repeated in feveral paflages
o f the Koran % and declared to be of high merit in the light of
G o d , thofe who are llain fighting in defence of the faith being
reckoned martyrs, and promifed immediate admifiion into paradife 5.
Hence this duty is greatly magnified by the Mohammedan divines,
who call the fword the key o f heaven and hell, and perfuade their
people that the leaft drop of blood fpilt in the way o f G o d , as it is
called, is moft acceptable unto him, and that the defending the territories
of the Mojlems for one night, is more meritorious than a
fall of two months4: on the other hand, defertion, or refilling to
ferve in thefe holy wars, or to contribute towards the carrying them
on, if a man has ability, is accounted a moft heinous crime, being
frequently declaimed againft in the Koran 5. Such a dodtrine, which
Mohammed ventured not to teach till his circumftances enahled him
to put it in practice 6, it muft be allowed, was well calculated for
his purpofe, and flood him and his fucceflor?.in great Head: for
what dangers and difficulties may not be defpifed and overcome by
the courage and conftancy which thefe fentiments neceflarily infpire?
Nor have the Jews and Chriftians, how much foever they deteft fuch
principles in others, been ignorant of the force of enthufiaftic he-
roifm, or omitted to fpirit up their refpedtive partifans by the like arguments
and prornifes. Let him who has lifted himfelf in defence of the law,
fays Maimonides 1, rely on him who is the hope o f Ifrael, and the Jdviour
thereof in the time of trouble 8.; and let him know, that he. fights fo r the
profejfton o f the divine unity: wherefore let him put his life in his hand9,
and think neither o f wife nor children, but bani/h the memory o f .them
from his heart, having his mind wholly fixed on the war. For -if he
Jhould begin to waver in his thoughts, he would not only confound himfelf,
but fin againft the law -, nay the blood of the whole people hangeth on his
neck: fo r i f they are difcomfited, and he has not fought ftoutly with
all his might, it is equally the fame as i f he hadfihed the blood o f them
all-, according to that faying, let him return, left his brethrens heart
1 V. Chardin, ubi fupra, p. 290, tec. * Chap. 22. p. 278. chap. 2. p. 22. chap. 4. p. yq,
Sec. chap. 8. p. 141, Sec. chap. 9. p. 149, 154.'chap. 47, & Chap. 61. p. 449, &c. r3 Chap.
2. p. 18. chap. 3. p. 52, 55. chap. 47. p.410. Chap. 61. p. 449. * Reland, de jure, milit.'Moham.
p. 5, Sec. ' V. chap. 9. p. 154, Sec. chap. 3. p. ; 2> &c. 6 See before, p. 48.
7 Halach. MeJachim, c. 7. 8 Jerem. xiv. 8. 9' jobxih. 14,
fa il
fa il as his own '1 To the fame purpoje doth the Kabala accommodate
that other paffdge, Curfed be he who doth the work o f the L o r d negligently,
and curfed be he who kiepeth back his fword from blood z. On
the contrary, he who bekaveth bravely in battle, to the utmofi o f his
endeavour, without trembling, with intent to glorify G o d ’ s name, he
ought to expeEl the victory with confidence, and to apprehend no danger
or misfortune, but may be affured that he will have a houfe built him in
Ifrael, appropriated to him and his children forever-, as it is faid, G od
fa ll certainly make my lord a Jure houfe, becaufe he hath fought the
battles of the L o r d; and his life /hall be bound up in the bundle o f
life with the L o r d his G o n f More paflages of this kind might
be produced from the JeiviJh writers; and the Chriftians come not
far behind them. We are defirous o f knowing, i ays one 4 writing to
the Franks engaged in the holy war, the charity of you a ll; fo r that
every one (which we fpeak not becaufe we wifh it) who Jhall faithfully
lofe his life in this warfare, f a l l be by no means denied the kingdom o f
heaven: And another s gives the following exhortation ; Laying afide
all fear and dread, endeavour to a£l effeStuaily againft the- enemies o f
the holy faith, and the adverfaries of all religions: fo r the Almighty
knorweth, i f any o f you die, that he dieth for the truth of the faith, and
the falvation of his country, and the defence of Chriftians ; and therefore
he Jhall obtain o f him a celeftial reward. The Jews indeed, had
a divine commiffion, extenfive and explicit enough, to attack, fub-
due and deftroy the enemies of their religion; and Mohammed pretended
to have received one in favour of himfelf and his Mojlems,
in terms equally plain and full; and therefore it is no wonder that
they ffiould adt confiftently with their avowed principles: but that
Chriftians Ihould teach and pradtife a dodtrine fo oppofite to the
temper and whole tenour of the gofpel, feems very ftrange; and yet
the latter have carried matters farther, and (hewn a more violent
fpirit of intolerance, than either of the former.
The laws of war according to the Mohammedans, have been already
fo exadtly fet down by the learned Reland6, that I need fay
very little of them. I (hall therefore only obferve fome conformity
between their military laws and thofe of the Jews.
While MohammediJ'm was in its infancy, the oppofers thereof
taken in battle were doomed to death, without mercy; but this was
1 Deut. xx. 8. a Jerem. xlviii. io> 3 i Sam. xxv. 28, 29. * Nicolaus, in Jure canon.
c. omnium, 23. quasft. 3. s Leo IV. ib. quseft. 8- 6 In his treatife De jure militari
Mobammedanor. in the third vol* of his Dijertationei Mdfcellanea.
judged