Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 16.djvu/580

Rh 552 MOHAMMEDANISM [MOHAMMED. days longer in Mecca, for the purpose, it is alleged, of restoring to its owners all the property which had been entrusted for safe keeping to the Prophet. The Koraish left him entirely unmolested, and threw no obstacle in the way when at last he also took his departure. Moham- With the Flight to Medina a new period in the life of media the Prophet begins; seldom does so great a revolution Medina. occur j n ^g circumstances of any man. Had he remained in Mecca he would in the best event have died for his doctrine, and its triumph would not have come until after his death. The Flight brought it about that he, the founder of a new religion, lived also to see its complete victory, that in his case was united all that in Christen dom is separated by the enormous interval between Christ and Constantine. He knew how to utilize Islam as the means of founding the Arabian commonwealth ; hence the rapidity of its success. That this was of no advantage for the religion is easily understood. It soon lost the ideality of its beginnings, for almost from the first it became mixed up with the dross of practical considerations. In reaching its goal so soon its capability of development was checked for all time to come ; in every essential feature it received from Mohammed the shape which it has ever since retained. It ought not, however, to be overlooked that the want of ideality and spiritual fruitfulness was partly due to its Arabian origin. Mohammed in the first instance took up his quarters in the outlying village of Koba, where several of his most zealous adherents had their homes, and had already built a mosque. It was not until after some days had passed, and he had made himself sure of the best reception, that he removed to the city itself, which at that time bore the name of Yathrib. All were anxious to have him ; in order that none might feel themselves slighted, he left the de cision to the camel (al-Kaswa) on which he rode. It knelt down in an open space in the quarter of the Banii Najjar, which he accordingly selected as the site of the mosque and of his own house. At first he took quarters for seven months in the house of Abu Ayyub ; within this interval the mosque was finished, which was to serve at once as the place of religious gatherings and as the com mon hall. Close to it was the Prophet s private dwelling, consisting of the huts of his wives, in one or other of which he lived. At that time he had only one wife, the Sauda already mentioned ; but soon he married, in addi tion, the youthful Alsha, the daughter of his friend Abubekr, who acquired great influence over him. Some of the leading emigrants built houses in the same neigh bourhood, while the rest continued to be quartered with the people of Medina. Medina. Medina is situated on a westward spur of the Arabian tableland, on the Wadi Kanat. It is an oasis amongst barren rocks, mostly of volcanic origin. The inhabitants supported themselves by their date palms and by the field and garden fruits that grew under their shadow ; they had their homes partly in the town itself and partly in the suburbs and outlying villages. At one time the oasis had belonged to the Jews, as the similar oases to the north still did Wadi 1-Kora, Khaibar, Fadak, Taima. But some centuries before Mohammed s time, Arabs of Yemen, the Banii Kaila, had immigrated and partially driven the Jews away. Many Jews, however, still continued to live there, partly scattered among the Arab tribes and under their protection, partly also in independent communities such as the Kainoka, the Nadfr, and the Koraiza. For them it was a great advantage that the Arabs were not agreed among themselves. The Banii Kaila were divided tlio other statements are all the more suspicious because they also speak of Monday and mid-day. Comp. Noldeke, Qoran, p. 59 sq. into two branches, the Aus and the Khazraj, who were Aus and constantly at daggers drawn. The mutual hate which Khazraj. burned within them, from time to time manifested itself in murder and assassination, if by any chance one of the Aus had wandered into a Khazraj ite quarter, or vice versd. Shortly before the arrival of Mohammed, the battle of Bo &th had taken place within the liberties of Medina, in which the Aus, with the help of their Jewish allies, had vanquished the Khazraj and broken their preponderance. The Khazraj were the more numerous and powerful, and seem to have been on the point of making their leading man, Ibn Obay, the king of Medina; by the battle of Bo ath the balance of parties and anarchy was pre served in the interests of a third, who came in at the right moment to settle these feeble and exhausting feuds and restore order. The circumstances were singularly fitted to change the Mobam- religious influence which Mohammed brought along with med s in him into another of a political character, and from being a prophet to make him the founder of a commonwealth. The Arabs had hitherto been accustomed to lay before their Kahins, or priestly seers, at the sanctuaries, for decision in God s name, all sorts of disputes and hard questions which ordinary means were inadequate to decide. The religious prestige which Mohammed enjoyed led directly to his being frequently called in as adviser and judge. In Medina quarrels and complications were abundant, and an authority to stand over both parties was much needed. Mohammed met this need in the manner which was most acceptable to the Arabs ; the authority he exercised did not rest upon force, but upon such a voluntary recognition of the judgment of God as no one had any need to be ashamed of. 1 In principle, it was the same kind of judicial and public influence as had been possessed by the old Kahins, but its strength was much greater. This arose not only from the peculiarly favourable circumstances, but above all from Mohammed s own personality. It is im possible to understand the history until one has mastered the fact of his immense spiritual ascendency over the Arabs. The expedient of giving oneself out for the mes senger of God, and one s speech as the speech of God, is of no avail to one who finds no credence ; and credence such as Mohammed received is not given for any length of time either to an impostor or a dupe. Even the respect in which he was held as a prophet would have helped him little if his decisions had been foolish and perverse. But they were in accordance with truth and sound understand ing ; he saw into things and was able to solve their riddle ; he was no mere enthusiast, but a thoroughly practical nature as well. It was not long before he was able to demand as of right that which, in the first instance, had been a voluntary tri bute. &quot; Every dispute which ye have one with another ye shall bring before God and Mohammed ; &quot; so runs the text in the original constitution for Medina, set up in the first years after the Flight 2 ; and in the Koran a rebuke is given to those who continue to seek the administration of justice at the hands of the false gods, i.e. of their priests and seers. 3 With incredible rapidity the Prophet as a veritable &quot;hakim biamr Allah&quot; had come to be the most powerful man in all Medina. 1 Very significant is it that the Moslems were ready to submit even to punishment with stripes, if awarded by God. 2 Ibn Hisham, 342, 17. 3 Ibn Hisham, 360, 8 sqq. Jolas b. Sowaid and other hypocrites were summoned before Mohammed by their believing relatives on ac count of some dispute ; but they in their turn summoned the plaintiffs before the Kahins, who in the days of heathenism had been their judges. It was with reference to this that sur. iv. 63 was revealed Hast thou not taken note of those who profess to be believers, yet wish to carry 011 their suit before the false gods ? &quot;