violence 1 : a great argument, fays a learned writer, of a humane dir.
poftion in that nation; who being by reafon of the- independent governments
of their feveral tribes, and for the prefervation o f their jufi
rights, expofed to frequent quarrels with one another, bad yet learned to cool
their inflamed breajts with moderation, and refrain the rage o f war by
f ated times o f truce *.
This inftitution obtained among all the Arabian tribes, except
only thofe of ‘Tay and Khathaam, and fome of the descendants of
al Jiareth Ebn Caab, (who diftinguifhed no time or place as facred
and was fo religioufly obferved, that there are but few inftances in
hiftory (four, fay fome, fix, fay others 4,) of its having been tranf-
greffed; the wars which were carried on without regard thereto,
being therefore termed impious. One o f thofe inftances was in the war
between the tribes of Koreijh and Kais Ailan, wherein Mohammed him-
felf ferved under his uncles, being then fourteen s, or, as others fay,
twenty 6 years old.
The months which the Arabs held facred were al Moharram, Ra-
jeb, Dhulkaada, and Dhu’lhajja; the firft, the feventh, the eleventh
and the twelfth in the year ?. Dhu’lhajja being the month wherein
they performed the pilgrimage to Mecca, not only that month, but
alfo the preceding and the following were for that reafon kept inviolable,
that every one might fafely and without interruption pafs
and repafs to and from the feftival 8. • Rajeb is faid to have been
more ftriftly obferved than any of the other three 9, probably be-
caufe in that month the pagan Arabsufed to fail 10; Ramadan, which
was afterwards fet apart by Mohammed for that purpofe, being in
the time of ignorance dedicated to drinking in excefs By reafon
of the profound peace and fecurity enjoyed in this month, one part
of the. provifions brought by the caravans of purveyors annually fet
out by the Koreijh for the fupply of Mecca 11, was diftributed among
' Al Kazwini, apud Golium in notis ad Alfrag. p. 4. &c. Al Shahreftani, apud Poc. Spec. p.
31J. Al Jawhari, al Firauzab. i Golius, ubi fupra, p. t. 1 Al Shahrepni, ubi fupra. See
b J D P' ,Z2' 4 Al Mogholta'i. 5 Abulfeda, vit. Moh. p. 11. s Al Koda'i, alFirauz.
apud Poc. Spec. p. 174. A l Mogbujtai mentions both opinions. 7 Mr. Buy!e (Diet. Hiß. Ö
Crit. Art. la Mecque, Rem. F.J accufes Dr. PriJeaux of an inconfiftency for faying' in one place
(Life of Mah. p. 64.) that thefe facred months were the firft,- the feventh, the eleventh, and the
twelfth, and intimating in another place, (lb. p. 89.) that three of them were contiguous. But
this mult be mere abfence of mind in Mr. Bayle: for are not the eleventh, the twelfth, and the
firft months contiguous ? The two learned profeffors, Golim and Riland, have alfo made a finall flip
in 'Peaking of thefe facred months, which, they tell us, are the two firft and the two Iaft in the
year. V. G0I11 Lex. Arab. col. 601. & Reland, de Jure milit. Mohammedanor p c » V.
Goh in Alfrag. p. 9. " 9 V. ibid. p. 6. 10 AI Maktjzi, apud Poc. ubi fupra. 11 Idem,
& Auftor Nelhk al Azhär, ibid. 12 See Koran, chap. 106. p. 303.
the people; the other part being, for the like reafon, diftributed at
the pilgrimage *.
The obfervance of the aforefaid months feemed fo reafonable to
Mohammed, that it met with his approbation; and the fame is accordingly
confirmed and enforced by feveral paffages of the Koran 2,
which forbid war to be waged during thofe months againft fuch as
acknowledge them to be facred, but grant, at the fame time, full
permiffion to attack thofe who make no fuch diftinftion, in the facred
months as well as in the prophane 3.
One practice, however, of the pagan Arabs, in relation to thefe
facred months, Mohammed thought proper to reform :■ for fome of
them, weary of fitting quiet for three months together, and eager to-
make their accuftomed incurfions for plunder, ufed, by way of expedient,
whenever it fuited their inclinations or conveniency, to put
off the obferving of al Moharram. to the following month Safar *,
thereby avoiding to keep the former, which they fuppofed1 it lawful
for them to prophane, provided they fanftified another month in lieu
of it, and gave public notice thereof at the preceding pilgrimage. This
transferring the obfervation of a facred month to a prophane month,
iswhat is truly meant by the Arabic word al NaJ'i, and is abfolutelycon-
demned, and declared to be an impious innovation, in a paffage of the
Koran 5 which Dr. Prideaux 6, milled by Golius T, imagines to relate-
to the prolonging o f the year, by adding an intercalary month thereto.
It is true, the Arabs, who imitated the Jews in their manner of
computing by lunar years, had alfo learned their method of reducing
them to folar years, by intercalating a month fometimes in the
third, and fometimes in the fecond year *■ ; by which means they
fixed the pilgrimage of Mecca (contrary to the original inftitution)
to a certain feafon of the year, viz. to- autumn, as moft convenient
for the pilgrims, by reafon of the temperatenefs of the weather, and:
the plenty of provifions 9; and it is alfo true that Mohammed forbad
luch intercalation by a paffage in the fame chapter of the Koran
but then it is not the paffage- abovementioned, which prohibits a
different thing, but one a little before it, wherein the number of
months in the year, according to the ordinance of G o d, is declared:
to be twelve10; whereas, i f the intercalation of a month were al-
1 Al Ednfi apud’Poc. Specim. p. 127. 2 Chap. 9. p. 154. chap. 2. p. 22; chap. 4. p.- 82.
chap. 5. p. 95, &c. * Chap. 9. p. 154. chap. 2. p. 22. 4 See the notes to chap. 9. ubi
hip. 1 Chap. 9« ibid. 6 Life of Mab. p, 66. 7 In Alfrag. p. 12. 8 See Prid. Preface
to the firft vol. of his Connect, p. vi, &c, 9 V. Gol. ubi fupra. 10 Kor. chap. 9..
P-1-5-4. See alfo chap..2, p. 22,
The obfervance
of thofe-
months-
confirmed
by the Koran
The transferring
of
a facred
month to a t
prophane-
month)
and the re*-
ducing
of lunar-
years to
folar, by
intercalating
a
month,
forbidden*.