Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 16.djvu/583

Rh MOHAMMED.] MOHAMMEDANISM 555 by force to the rebels who showed unwillingness to accept it. More literally than Christ could Mohammed say of himself that he was come not to bring peace but a sword. Islam was a standing declaration of war against idolaters. The holy The nearest object against which to direct the holy war war. (jihad) was presented by the Meccans. Against them first did Mohammed bring into operation the new principle, that it is faith and not blood that separates and unites. Ac cording to Arab notions it was a kind of high treason on his part to leave his native town in order to join a foreign society ; on the part of the people of Medina it was an act of hostility to Mecca to receive him among them. The Meccans would have been fully justified on their side in taking arms against the Moslems, but they refrained, being too much at their ease, and shrinking besides from fratricidal war. It was the Moslems who took the initia tive ; aggressiveness was in their blood. Mohammed began with utilizing the favourable position of Medina, on a mountain spur near the great highway from Yemen to Syria, to intercept the Meccan caravans. Originally he sent forth only the Emigrants to take part in the expedi tions, as the people of Medina had pledged themselves to defend him only in the event of his being attacked ; soon, however, they also joined him. What first induced them to do so was the prospect of booty ; afterwards it was im possible to separate themselves, so great was the fusion of elements which had been quietly going on within the crucible of Islam. The first plunder was taken in the month Rajab, A.H. 2 (Autumn 623), in which circumstance was at once seen the advantage arising from the change of conscience brought about by the new religion ; for in Rajab feuds and plun dering raids were held to be unlawful. Relying upon the sacredness of this month a caravan of Koraish was return ing from Tdif laden with leather, wine, and raisins. But this did not prevent Mohammed from sending out a band of Emigrants to surprise the caravan at Nakhla, between Tdif and Mecca ; his orders to this effect were given in a document which was not to be unsealed until two days after the departure of the expedition. The plan was carried out, and the surprise was all the more successful, because the robbers gave themselves the outward semblance of pilgrims ; one Meccan was killed in the struggle. But the perfidy with which in this instance Mohammed s ad vanced religious views enabled him to utilize for his own advantage the pious custom of the heathen roused in Medina itself such a storm of disapproval, that he found himself compelled to disavow his own tools. In Moham medan tradition, the contents of the unambiguous document in which he ordered the surprise are usually falsified. Battle of The Koraish still remained quiet ; another outrage had Bedr. yet to come. In Ramadan A.H. 2 (December 623), the return of their great Syrian caravan was expected, and Mohammed resolved to lie in wait for it at Bedr, a favour ite watering- place and camping -ground, northward from Medina. For this purpose he set out thither in person along with 308 men ; but the leader of the caravan, the Omayyad Abu Sofyan, got word of the plan and sent a messenger to Mecca with a request for speedy help. Con cern about their money and goods at last drove the Koraish to arms ; a very short interval found them, 900 strong, on the road to Bedr. By the way they received intelligence that the caravan had made a circuit to the west of Bedr, and was already in safety. Nevertheless they resolved, at the instance of the Makhzumit Abu Jahl, for the sake of their honour, to continue their march. When the Moslems first got touch of them at Bedr, they took them for the caravan ; their surprise on discovering the truth may be imagined. But, kept firm by the courage of their leader, they resolved to face the superior numbers of the enemy. On the morning of Friday, the 17th of Ramadan, the encounter took place. A number of duels were fought in the front, which were mostly decided in favour of the Moslems. The Meccans at last gave up the fight, strictly speaking for no other cause than that they did not see any reason for carrying it on. They were reluctant to shed the blood of their kinsmen ; they were awestruck in pre sence of the gloomy determination of their adversaries, who did know what they were fighting for, and were absolutely reckless of consequences. After a number of the noblest and oldest of the Koraish, including at last Abu Jahl, had fallen, those who remained took to flight. The number of the dead is said to have been as great as that of the prisoners. Two of the latter, whom he per sonally hated, Mohammed caused to be put to death Okba b. Abi Mo ait and al-Nadr b. al-Harith. When the last named had perceived, from the Prophet s malignant glance, the danger in which he stood, he implored an old friend of his among the Moslems for his intercession. This request being refused, al-Nadr said : &quot; Had the Koraish taken thee prisoner, thou hadst not been put to death as long as I had lived ;&quot; to which the apologetic reply was : &quot; I do not doubt it, but I am differently placed from thee, for Islam has made an end of the old relations.&quot; To the remaining prisoners life was spared on payment by their kinsmen of a heavy ransom ; but Mohammed is said to have afterwards reproached himself for having allowed considerations of earthly gain to keep him back from send ing them all to hell as they deserved. The battle of Bedr is not only the most celebrated of Effect battles in the memory of Moslems; it was really also of great historical importance. It helped immensely to strengthen Mohammed s position. Thenceforward open opposition to him in Medina was impossible ; families which had hitherto withdrawn themselves from his influ ence were so thoroughly cowed by some atrocious murders carried out in obedience to his orders, that they went over to Islam. He was now in a position to proceed to break up the autonomy of the Jews. In the first instance, he addressed himself to the weak Banu Kainoka, demanding their acceptance of Islam ; on their refusal, he took the earliest opportunity that offered itself to declare war against them. After a short siege they were compelled to surren der; and they might congratulate themselves that their old ally, Ibn Obay, was able to concuss the Prophet into sparing their lives, and contenting himself with their banishment from Medina. Soon afterwards other blows were struck, in the shape of assassinations, by means of which Moham med put out of the way several of the Jews whom he hated most, such as Ka b b. al-Ashraf and Ibn Sonaina. 1 The state of fear to which the rest were reduced may readily be imagined ; they came to the Prophet and begged him to be propitious. If in other days their dislike had found somewhat public expression in all sorts of witticisms and scornful sayings, they were now at least modest and quiet, and kept their hatred to themselves. The Meccans also were very deeply impressed by the defeat inflicted on them by the Moslems. They saw clearly that the blow must be avenged, and they took comprehen sive measures for their campaign. After a year s delay, their preparations being now complete, and their allies battle. 1 The murderer of Ilm Sonaina was Mohayyisa b. Mas ud, of whose elder brother, Howaisa, he had been a sworn ally. Ilowaisa struck the murderer in consequence, and reproached him with his treacherous ingratitude, saying that much of the fat in his body had come from the estate of the Jew. Mohayyisa s reply was : &quot; If he who bade me kill him were also to bid me killthee, I should obey.&quot; The brother, amazed, asked him if he was serious, and when the other assured him that he was, Howaisa exclaimed : &quot; By God, a religion which brings it to this is a stupendous one,&quot; and forthwith became a convert. The story ( Vakidi, p. 98) is too characteristic to be passed over.