Mohammed Enters Medina

Mohammed, a fugitive from his native city with a price upon his head, entered Medina more as a conqueror in triumph than an exile seeking an asylum.

Continuing Mohammed,
Today is our final installment from Washington Irving and then we begin the second part of the series with Simon Ockley. For works benefiting from the latest research see the “More information” section at the bottom of these pages.

Previously in Mohammed.

Time: July 2, 622
Place: Medina

Learning from them that the number of proselytes in the city was rapidly augmenting and that there was a general disposition to receive him favorably, he appointed Friday, the Moslem Sabbath, [1] the sixteenth day of the month Rabi, for his public entrance.

[1: Friday remains the Sabbath of the Moslems.]

Accordingly on the morning of that day he assembled all his followers to prayer; and after a sermon, in which he expounded the main principles of his faith, he mounted his camel Al Kaswa and set forth for that city, which was to become renowned in after ages as his city of refuge.

Boreida Ibn al Hoseib, with his seventy horsemen of the tribe of Saham, accompanied him as a guard. Some of the disciples took turns to hold a canopy of palm leaves over his head and by his side rode Abu-Bekr. “O apostle of God!” cried Boreida, “thou shalt not enter Medina without a standard”; so saying, he unfolded his turban and tying one end of it to the point of his lance, bore it aloft before the prophet.

The city of Medina was fair to approach, being extolled for beauty of situation, salubrity of climate and fertility of soil; for the luxuriance of its palm-trees and the fragrance of its shrubs and flowers. At a short distance from the city a crowd of new proselytes to the faith came forth in sun and dust to meet the cavalcade. Most of them had never seen Mohammed and paid reverence to Abu-Bekr through mistake; but the latter put aside the screen of palm leaves and pointed out the real object of homage, who was greeted with loud acclamations.

In this way did Mohammed, so recently a fugitive from his native city, with a price upon his head, enter Medina, more as a conqueror in triumph than an exile seeking an asylum. He alighted at the house of a Khazradite, named Abu-Ayub, a devout Moslem, to whom moreover he was distantly related; here he was hospitably received and took up his abode in the basement story.

Shortly after his arrival he was joined by the faithful Ali, [2] who had fled from Mecca and journeyed on foot, hiding himself in the day and travelling only at night, lest he should fall into the hands of the Koreishites. He arrived weary and way-worn, his feet bleeding with the roughness of the journey.

[2: His nephew and son-in-law, surnamed “the Lion-hearted.”]

Within a few days more came Ayesha and the rest of Abu-Bekr’s household, together with the family of Mohammed, conducted by his faithful freedman Zeid and by Abu-Bekr’s servant Abdallah.

Simon Ockley

Now we begin the second the second part of our series with our selection from The History of the Saracens by Simon Ockley, The selection is presented in 10.5 easy 5 minute installments.

Simon Ockley (1678-1720) was the Adams Professor of Arabic at Cambridge University.

Mohammed had hitherto propagated his religion by fair means only. During his stay at Mecca he had declared his business was only to preach and admonish; and that whether people believed or not was none of his concern. He had hitherto confined himself to the arts of persuasion, promising, on the one hand, the joys of paradise to all who should believe in him and who should, for the hopes of them, disregard the things of this world and even bear persecution with patience and resignation; and, on the other, deterring his hearers from what he called infidelity, by setting before them both the punishments inflicted in this world upon Pharaoh and others, who despised the warnings of the prophets sent to reclaim them; and also the torments of hell, which would be their portion in the world to come. Now, however, when he had got a considerable town at his command and a good number of followers firmly attached to him, he began to sing another note. Gabriel now brings him messages from heaven to the effect that, whereas other prophets had come with miracles and been rejected, he was to take different measures and propagate Islamism by the sword. And accordingly, within a year after his arrival at Medina he began what was called the holy war. For this purpose he first of all instituted a brotherhood, joining his Ansars or helpers and his Mohajerins or refugees together in pairs; he himself taking Ali for his brother. It was in allusion to this that Ali, afterward when preaching at Cufa, said, “I am the servant of God and brother to his apostle.”

In the second year of the Hegira, Mohammed changed the Kebla of the Muslim, which before this time had been toward Jerusalem, ordering them henceforth to turn toward Mecca when they prayed. In the same year he also appointed the fast of the month Ramadan.

Mohammed having now a pretty large congregation at Medina found it necessary to have some means of calling them to prayers; for this purpose he was thinking of employing a horn, or some instrument of wood, which should be made to emit a loud sound by being struck upon. But his doubts were settled this year by a dream of one of his disciples, in which a man appearing to him in a green vest recommended as a better way, that the people should be summoned to prayers by a crier calling out, “Allah acbar, Allah acbar,” etc.; “God is great, God is great, there is but one God, Mohammed is his prophet; [3] come to prayers, come to prayers.” Mohammed approved of the scheme and this is the very form in use to this day among the Muslims; who, however, in the call to morning prayers, add the words, “Prayer is better than sleep, prayer is better than sleep” — a sentiment not unworthy the consideration of those who are professors of a better religion.

[3: The Persians add these words, “and Ali is the friend of God.” Kouli Khan, having a mind to unite the two different sects, ordered them to be omitted. — Fraser’s Life of Kouli Khan, p. 124.]

Washington Irving begins here. Simon Ockley begins here.

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