dream to a soothsayer, his colour changed, and he said to me, "One will come from thy loins who will rule over the people of the east and the west, and to whom the people of the whole earth shall become subjected."'
60. Mohammed's sixtieth excellency consists of the evident miracles and wonders which he was enabled to perform, and which will now be specially treated of.

(2.) His Miracles.

The Divines affirm that the miracles of all the previous prophets were given to Mohammed, and that he surpassed them all, so that, e.g., if Noah received the miracle of the Ark which floated upon the waters of the deluge, our own prophet could command stones to float on the water: and it is certainly more wonderful to cause stones to move upon the waters than a vessel: It is reported that when he invited Abu Jahl to embrace the Faith, Akrima requested him, first to show a miracle, and then he also would believe. Now, as they just happened to be near a lake which was full of water and surrounded with stones, Mohammed said to him, 'Go to that stone and say to it, "Mohammed calls thee."' Akrima did as he was bidden, and, lo, instantly that stone began to move and to swim on the water, till it stood opposite his Excellency. But every one knows that it is more wonderful for a stone to swim on the water than, e.g., for a tree or a board.

Likewise, if fire was made obedient to Abraham, so that it could not burn or singe him, Mohammed the chosen was so eminently endowed with miraculous power that fire would not even singe the pocket-handkerchief which he held in his hand. It is recorded that Uns Ibn Malik visited that Excellency, who, after dinner, sent for a soiled handkerchief which he threw into an oven where a fire had been kindled, and then took it out again, when the fire had not had any other effect except that of thoroughly cleaning it. It is stated that, on the day of the resurrection, the Most High will command the fire of hell to obey Mohammed, so as to burn any one of whom he will say, 'Burn him;' and not to touch any one of whom he will say, 'Do not burn him.'

If Moses was endowed with the miraculous power Of

causing water to flow from the rock, our own prophet was counted worthy of the power of causing water to flow from his fingers. For it is creditably affirmed by his companions, Abd Allah Ibn Masud and Jabir Ibn Abd Allah, that during the war of Hodeibia the people complained of thirst, when that Excellency said, 'Look, whether any one has still some water.' His friends searched, and having found a small quantity, brought it to him. That Excellency asked for a cup, into which he poured that water, and then also put his blessed hand into it, whereupon water began to bubble forth from between his fingers, as it bubbles forth from a well; and all the people came, drank to their full, and performed their ablutions. When Jabir was afterwards asked how many they were on that occasion, he replied, 'We were 5500: but if we had been 10,000, that water would have been enough for us.' But it is an established fact that it is much more wonderful for water to proceed from flesh and skin than from stones and earth.

If the prophet Salih was given the miraculous power of bringing forth she-camels from the hard rock, our own prophet was counted worthy that by his prayer he could cause a date-tree to grow forth from a camel's hump and instantaneously to bear fruit, so that all who were present in the assembly could eat of the fruit, and that the dates of that tree were exceedingly sweet to the palate of those having an established faith in theology, but became stones in the mouths of all who were unbelievers. So likewise Salih's she-camels never spoke to him, whereas our own prophet had camels speaking to him again and again. One of these many cases is the following. 'That Excellency was on a journey, when suddenly a camel approached him, saying, "O Apostle of God, I have no master: hitherto he has been using me, but now that I am become old, he wants to slaughter me; therefore I am come to take refuge with thee that thou mayest save me." The Apostle of God sent for its master, and requested of him to let him have that camel. The master acceding to the request, his Excellency liberated it.'

Likewise, if the wind was made subject to Solomon, so as, morning and evening, to carry his throne a month's dis-