284 MOHAMMED A PARODY OF CHRIST. [BK. II.

later he was visited by a vast host of spirits who likewise became Mussulmans. In that night his Excellency selected twelve from amongst the nobles of the spirits, to whom he taught the ordinances of the Law, and whom he commanded to teach the same unto others.' (R.)

'In the thirteenth year of Mohammed's prophetship, about three months before the Hegira, seventy-two of the people of Medina who had come to Mecca on the occasion of the pilgrimage, took the oath of submission and allegiance to him. Out of these he chose twelve men, whom he appointed as overseers over the rest; and he said on the occasion, "Let not those whom I did not choose to the office of overseer grieve or be vexed; for it is not I who have chosen them, but Gabriel has chosen and selected them for me;" and to those who were chosen and appointed as overseers, his Excellency said, "You are the sureties of the people over whom you are appointed as overseers, just as the Apostles were Jesus' sureties,1 and I am the surety of my entire people."' (R.)

(19.) In the exercise of their public ministry, they gathered Disciples around then and zealously preached the Faith, one Sermon on a Mount being specially noted; and they also made diligent use of the gathering of Great Multitudes, during the annual Festivals of the nation.

a. 'From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, . . . and he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him, etc. And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a

1 This express reference to a Christian institution, as the pattern for its Mohammedan imitation, is of importance, as strongly supporting the idea underlying this whole chapter, namely, that there is in Islam an obvious tendency to represent Christianity as rendered no longer necessary, and therefore justly superseded and replaced by its own revelation and ordinances. Once the postulate being admitted, that Islam offers benefits and blessings as great or greater than those of Christianity, it follows, as a matter of course, that it is justified in asserting a position of equality and superiority, which must turn into one of direct antagonism whenever the assumed superseded religion presumes to maintain itself against its rival. Thus Islam proved itself anti-Christian in the double sense of the 'anti,' by first affecting a correspondence and equality of worth with regard to Christianity, and then assuming an attitude of open hostility.
CH. I. 19.] BEGINS TO PREACH. SERMON ON A MOUNT. 285

mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: and he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven,' etc. (Matt. iv. 17-20; v. vi. vii.)
'Now when Jesus was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name' (John ii. 23). 'After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,' etc. (John v. 1-47). 'Now about the midst of the feast (of tabernacles), Jesus went up into the temple, and taught' (John vii. 14-53).

b. 'The biographers and historians record that when that Excellency knew by clear proofs that he was a prophet, he preached Islam first of all to Khadija, and she believed in him without any hesitation. One day later, or, according to another account, at the close of that same day, Ali Ibn Abu Talib, who was being brought up by that Excellency, believed in him. After him, Zeid Ibn Haritha, who was a liberated slave of Khadija, came to the faith. After him, Abu Bekr, the faithful, became ennobled with the nobility of the faith, etc.

'It is recorded that at first Mohammed invited the people to Islam in a private, secret manner, and that they embraced the faith by ones or by twos. This state lasted for three years, till Gabriel came and brought down this verse, "O Mohammed, bring thou openly forward that with which thou art commissioned, and turn away from the idolaters." Then that Excellency tied the girdle of preaching round his loins, and openly called upon the people to embrace Islam, so that men and women believed in numbers; and Islam was much spoken of in Mecca.

'On receiving the command in the words of this verse, "Warn thy own tribe, thy relatives; and spread thy wing over the believers who follow thee," his Excellency went up to mount Safa, and called together all the different branches of the Koreish. On hearing his voice, they said, "Mohammed has gone up to Mount Safa and calls us." So all the heads of the Koreish were gathered to him, and even those who could not come themselves sent some representative in their stead. Being gathered round him, they said, "What is the matter with thee, O Mohammed, and what dost thou