sends the severest troubles to the true believers; but He does so only with the intent of raising them to a higher degree and wiping out their sins, even if that trouble should merely be a thorn in their foot.'

Many visitors called to inquire after the health of their prophet. Amongst them was the mother (or, according to some account, sister) of Bishr. She relates that, finding him in a very hot paroxysm of intermittent fever, she thus expressed her surprise, 'O Apostle of God, I have never seen such fever as thine in any one else.' He answered, 'Therefore my reward also will be double that of others; but tell me, O mother of Bishr, what the people say about my illness.' On her replying, 'They say, the Prophet is suffering from pleurisy.' He said to her, 'It is not in accord with the goodness of the Most High to inflict that illness on His Prophet. The illness of which thou speakest is caused by Satan, and he has no power over me. My illness is the effect of that poisoned meat which I ate, together with thy son, in Khaibar. Many times have I suffered from it; but now I feel as if the artery of life was being cut through.' The historian, recording this interview, observes that in all probability God's purpose with regard to this poisoned meat was, that the Prophet might thus share in the dignity of martyrdom.

Remedies were indeed applied, as was sure to be done in the case of a sick husband, surrounded by so many anxious wives: but they failed in subduing the violence of the fever. Aisha remembered that, with the view of assuaging pain in himself and in others, her husband had sometimes uttered certain words of incantation, whilst stroking the affected parts with his hand. She, therefore, repeated the same words, and took his hand to draw it over his body. But he soon withdrew it from her, saying, 'Formerly such incantation did me good; but now it is of no use.' His fever rose so high that the burning heat of his body could be felt through the bedclothes. He had the sensation of a fire raging within his veins; and this suggested to him the application of a more drastic remedy which, however, only afforded him relief for the moment. He ordered that seven water-skins, never before used, should be filled from seven different wells and simultaneously poured over him. Accordingly they placed

him in a bathing-tub, belonging to his wife Hafza, Omar's daughter, and poured the water over him, as he had directed. But he soon made signs with his hands for them to desist; and the fever yielded as little to this sevenfold mixture of water, as to incantation. His strength decreased fast, and fainting fits supervened. During one of these, his wives dropped some medicine into his mouth, such as was used in Abyssinia against pleurisy. When he ascertained this, on recovering consciousness, he was so vexed with them that, sick as he was, he insisted on their all partaking of the same medicine, for a punishment. Every one of them had to swallow some of the objectionable drug in his presence; and it is expressly remarked that even Meimuna had to submit to the ordeal, although she was fasting at the time.

On the Thursday preceding his death, when his weakness was already very great and his mind clouded, he asked for writing materials, to make a last will, probably urged to do so by some interested person of his surroundings. As he left no son, and there were several parties looking forward to the privilege of succession, this caused quite a scene and unseemly quarrel in the very sick-room of the Prophet, several of the persons interested dreading lest he should bar their chance. Some were for complying with the sick Prophet's request; others loudly opposed it, on the ground of it causing him too great an effort, or, as being the dictate of a delirious mind, under the effect of a burning fever. So boisterous became the altercation, that the patient expressed his displeasure and relinquished his wish in anger. Yet we are told that, in this last illness, he bequeathed to his followers the legacy of three verbal injunctions. The first was, that they should drive all non-Moslems out of the country, so as to have only one religion in Arabia; the second, that they were to continue his practice of giving presents to Arab communities offering to embrace Islam; but the third is mysteriously withheld by the biographers, and may possibly have had reference to a successor, which it was deemed prudent to keep secret. Only so much he is reported to have said on this subject, that it was his wish the Califate should remain in the hands of the Koreish.

He also still found it necessary to exhort the Refugees