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

'The answer to the third question is found in Sura 17, verse 87, where we read, "They will ask thee about the Spirit. Say, The Spirit belongs to the things of my Lord (or, the Spirit is owing, as a creature, to a command of my Lord); 1 but the knowledge given to you is only a small measure."

'But when Mohammed, by answering their questions and giving an account of the unknown, had demonstrated to them that what he spoke was true and that he was a real prophet, envy prevented them from believing in him and following him, so that they remained rebellious against God, turned away from him with open eyes, and continued in unbelief.' (Ibn Ishak and Ibn Hisham in Part IV.)

(21.) The impression made by their words and presence was such as often to disarm their enemies, and frustrate the hostile designs which they had entertained against them.

a. 'The Pharisees and chief priests sent officers to take him. And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him. Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him? The officers answered, Never man spake like this man' (John vii. 14-46). Compare also John viii. 3-11 .
'As soon as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground. Then asked he them

greatly distress Jesus, who will have returned to this earth, and His companions. But at their request God will destroy them and send birds of prey to carry away and consume them. Their bows, arrows, and quivers will last the surviving Mussulmans as fuel for seven years; and at length God will send a pouring rain to cleanse and fertilise the land. The idea of these innumerable hosts of Gog and Magog seems to have been suggested to the Western Asiatics by the westward incursions of hundreds of thousands of horsemen from Eastern Tartary and China, for centuries before the Christian era. (Compare Ezek. xxxix. 1-16 and Rev. xx. 7-10.) The 'Rampart' mentioned, seems to refer to the 'Chinese Wall.'
1 The word used in Arabic (emr) having the double meaning of 'command' and 'thing,' the verse can be literally translated by either, 'The Spirit is (one) from (amongst) the things of my Lord,' or, 'The Spirit is (proceeding) from (i.e. owing to) the command of my Lord.' In either case Mohammed's probable intention was, to represent the Spirit as one of the many things or creatures of God, produced by His creative fiat; and therefore the verse conveys a latent and indirect opposition to the Christian Faith in the Spirit, as one of the Three eternal hypostases of the Holy Trinity.
CH. I. 21.] HE AWES HIS OPPONENTS. 291

again, Whom seek ye? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he. If therefore ye seek me, let these go their way' (John xviii. 3-9).

b. 'Abd Allah Ibn Omar said, I was present one day, when the chiefs of the Koreish were assembled in the temple and thus spoke about Mohammed: "We have never endured anything like what we endure from this man: he calls us fools, dishonours our fathers, reviles our faith, divides our congregation, and blasphemes our gods. Verily, we endure hard things from him." While they were thus speaking, Mohammed arrived, embraced the pillar of the temple, and passing them in going round the temple, I observed from his face that they had been saying something offensive to him. I made the same observation, when, he passed them the second and the third time. Then he stood still, and said to them, "Hearken, O ye congregation of the Koreish, by Him in Whose power Mohammed's soul is, I come to you with sacrificing." The people being struck by this word, every one felt as if a bird had alighted upon his head, so that the worst amongst them addressed him with tender words, saying, "Go home, O Abu-l-Kasim; by Allah! thou art not a fool," whereupon Mohammed went away.

'Otba Ibn Rabia, one of the chief men of the Koreish, said once in their assembly, whilst Mohammed was sitting alone in the temple, "Shall I not go to Mohammed and make him certain offers which, perhaps, he will accept, so that he may not any longer trouble us with his faith?" They approved his proposal; and he went to lay his offers before Mohammed, who in reply recited to him a Sura from the Koran. When Otba returned to his friends, after this interview, they said one to the other, "We can swear by God that Otba has returned with quite a different countenance." On having seated himself near them, they asked him, "What is the report thou bringest?" He answered, "By Allah, I heard words such as I have never heard before: they are neither poetry, nor enchantment, nor soothsaying; therefore trust and follow me, by leaving Mohammed in peace." Upon this they replied, "By God, he has enchanted thee with his tongue." But he said, "This is my view, do ye what you deem proper."