Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 16.djvu/586

Rh 558 to be stormed, but after one or two sorties evacuated it and withdrew to another, where the same story was re peated. Thus citadel after citadel fell into the hands of Ruin of the Moslems ; treachery, which had something to do with ^he Jews, the surrender, was well-nigh superfluous. From Al-Natat the Jews were driven to Al-Shikk, and at last nothing was left to them but Al-Katiba (with Al-Watfh and Solalim). 1 There they remained shut up and filled with fear, without even risking, as formerly, single combats and skirmishes before their citadels. After some time they asked for peace, and obtained it on the footing that they retained their lives, wives and children, and one garment each, but gave up all their property, the penalty of concealing any thing being death. Kinana b. b. Abi 1-Hokafk was cruelly tortured, and at last put to death because he had buried the renowned jewels of his family ; thus at the same time his handsome wife Safiya bint Hoyay was left free for Mohammed. His marriage with &quot; the daughter of the king &quot; wound up the prosperous campaign. Safiya felt no repulsion towards the man who had caused the death of her father Hoyay, and of her husband Kinana ; she gracefully accom modated herself to the situation. More worthy was the demeanour of another Jewess, Zainab, who made the attempt to poison the executioner of her people, and atoned for this offence by her death. The attempt was unsuccessful, but Mohammed believed that even in his last illness he could trace the effects of the poison. Simultaneously with Khaibar, Fadak also fell into his hands, and shortly afterwards Wadi 1-Kora, where also there were settlements of Jews. The plunder was very considerable. So far as it consisted of movables, it was gathered together into a heap, and put up to auction ; the proceeds were then divided. Mohammed insisted very strictly that no one should be permitted to plunder for his own hand. The property in land, palm plantations, vegetable gardens, were allowed for the time being to remain at a rent in the hands of the Jews ; half of the produce had to be paid to the new owners. The lion s share of the spoil fell to the lot of God, i.e. of the Prophet a fifth of the movables, of the real estate a larger pro portion. He consequently had at his command consider able material resources, and he well knew how to employ them, not only for the enrichment of his family, but also for gaining over to his side such individuals as were more accessible to payment than to principles. The peace of Hodaibiya, with the subsequent conquest of Khaibar, closes the first period of Mohammed s life at Medina ; strictly speaking, indeed, it merely confirmed the status which in point of fact the War of the Fosse had already given him. If at first it seemed as if Mohammed had shamefully given way, it soon became apparent, never theless, that the advantage lay with him. &quot; No victory of Islam,&quot; Abiibekr was wont to say, &quot; has more importance than the treaty of Hodaibiya ; men are always for hurry ing things on, but God lets them ripen.&quot; &quot;Previously there had subsisted a wall of partition between the Moslems and the rest of men ; they never spoke to each other ; wherever they met, they began to fight. Sub sequently hostility died down ; security and mutual co- Rapid fidence took its place. Every man of even moderate intel- spread of^g ence W h he^d o f Islam joined it; in the twenty-two im months during which the truce subsisted, the number of conversions was greater than throughout the whole of the previous period ; the faith diffused itself in all directions among the Arabs.&quot; As a religion Islam did not attract the Arabs ; they had 1 Such were the names of the three separate quarters of Khaibar, each one made up of a complex of houses and citadels. [MOHAMMED. no inclination to pray, read the Koran, and give alms. Of this they had given sufficient evidence by their per ennial feuds with Mohammed, and by the murder of divers of his missionaries who were sent to teach them the faith. 2 We can hardly believe that a new spirit now suddenly possessed them. Their change of attitude was merely due to the imposing effect of the rising might of Islam. They began to respect the Moslems, who, in spite of their small numbers, could defy a whole world, because they were of one mind, and did not ask what the world thought. They saw that, in the great conflict between Mecca and Medina, in which as actors or as spectators they had all participated, the victory inclined more and more to the side of Medina, that force could accomplish nothing against faith. The prestige of Mecca was shaken by the War of the Fosse, and was not restored by the treaty of Hodaibiya, in which the Koraish waved Mohammed off with the open hand, and at the same time permitted him to return next year. Islam had &quot; stretched out its neck &quot; had consolidated itself into indestructible existence it now fought for victory. There was, moreover, another argument in favour of the new religion, to which the Arabs were very sensible the rich booty, to wit, which the Moslems acquired by their continual forays. There is no question that the material success of Islam was the chief force that attracted new adherents. The treaty of Hodaibiya gave a breathing space to the Results two combatants, and of this the prophet reaped the whole of the advantage. The truce, which lasted for almost two years, tri ^ e brought to the Meccans an almost unbroken series of jj ecca humiliations and losses. Contrary to all expectation, the provision made in their favour, by which Mohammed bound himself to send back such of their sons as deserted to him before their majority, turned to their hurt, so that they had to ask Mohammed to have it changed. 3 Still more serious for them was the desertion of three eminent men, Khalid b. al-Walid, Amr b. al- As, and Othman b. Talha, whom the Prophet received with open arms. Next year they looked on with shame and concealed indignation when the Prophet, availing himself of his stipulated right, entered the city with 2000 men, and performed the sacred ceremonies ( Omrat al-Kada, March 629). Still they were afraid to break with him again, and did not even venture to rid themselves of his spies, the Khoza a, who lived in their midst. &quot; When they put one foot forward they draw the other back ; they are convinced that Mohammed will win &quot; such was the impression the Koraish made on the Bedouins, who have a very keen instinct in matters of this sort. They had lost confidence in themselves ; they knew that the fight was not fought out, but they dared not seek to bring it to a decision. Against their will the decision came. The Banii Bekr fell upon Mohammed s friends, the Khoza a, and were supported by some of their Koraishite allies. The Khoza- 2 See Vakidi, pp. 153-157 (Bir Ma una and al-Raji&quot;), and the general view of these feuds, ibid. p. 29 sqq. 3 Abu Basi r had fled to Mohammed to Medina ; the Meccans de manded his surrender. He was given up, in spite of his passionate remonstrances, to the two messengers sent to fetch him. But on the road he fell on one of them and slew him with his own sword ; the other hastened back to Medina in horror. Abu Basir followed, thinking Mohammed had now done enough to satisfy the Meccans. Only, however, when the messenger refused the charge of so dangerous a prisoner, did Mohammed permit the latter to go off where he pleased, refusing to allow him to stay with the Moslems,. Accordingly Abu Basir made for the coast-road of the Syrian caravans, and became the leader of other Moslem fugitives from Mecca, who quickly gathered round him. They intercepted all caravans, divided the prey, and slew tha men. Abu Basir s robberies at length induced the Meccans to ask Mohammed by letter to allow him to join his community, and so put an end to the mischief. Vakidi, p. 261 ; Ibn Hisham, p. 757 sqq.