Henry Stubbe and the Beginnings of Islam by Nabil Matar

Author:Nabil Matar
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: REL037010, Religion/Islam/History, LCO003000, Literary Collections/Ancient, Classical and Medieval
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2013-12-17T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

THE RETURN OF ALI AND THE WARS OF MAHOMET

E SET ALL THINGS in such order here as he had done at Agra and retired back to Medina with a numerous retinue of volunteers who came of their own accord to attend and guard the prophet. They disciplined themselves there every day, and what time could be spared from their sallah and their military exercises was employed in working upon some trade, the prophet teaching them that that food was most pleasant, nourishing, and blessed which every man gained by his particular industry and labor and that God delighted in those alms to be given which a man had gained himself. Mahomet received Ali with as much honor as became the gravity of the Apostle of God, and Ali prostrated himself before him with such reverence that he seemed really to believe what he usually professed—that the shadow of the prophet was as the shadow of God.

At the same time, there arrived news from the kingdom of the Abyssines, how Giafar, the son of Abutaleb and brother of Ali, had converted the Aluajash or Negush, called Aitshama, emperor of that kingdom, together with his subjects to Islamism. This Giafar, with other adherents of Mahomet at Mecca being <92> persecuted by the Coreischites, desires Mahomet’s permission to retire, which obtained, he withdrew into Ethiopia for protection. This Hegira or flight was some time before the pilgrimage of Mahomet to Medina.1 Now Giafar, residing in the court of Aitshama, did instruct him in the rise and doctrine of Mahomet. The Abyssines had always used circumcision not upon any religious but civil account and are said to have been converted to Christianity by Queen Candace’s eunuch,2 and that Matthew and some others of the apostles preached there.3 Undoubtedly they were at first of the number of the Judaizing Christians and afterwards, as did the Arabians, they turned Jacobites.4 This affinity in religion, in circumcision, and in rejecting the Melkites (not to mention that the Abyssines had not long before reigned in Yemen for seventy years or more),5 and the general ignorance of the Christians whereby they did not understand the notions they had of the Trinity, did facilitate the conversion of the Negush who was soon convinced that it was impossible there should be three persons in the deity and that God should have a son. And hearing that Mahomet did not only style Isa prophet, but superlatively honored him as the word and spirit of God, he embraced Islamism.

Upon this intelligence, Mahomet commands Ibn Omar to prepare for an embassy to Ethiopia in the sixth year of the Hegira. The retinue had much of splendor and Ibn Omar carried a letter from the prophet which began thus: “In the Name of God, merciful and gracious, from Mahomet the Apostle of God to Negush Aitshama, King of the Abyssines, et cetera.”6 His reception there was no less solemn than magnificent. Aitshama descends from his throne to receive the letter. He laid it presently

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.