to speak to that prince once more; but seeing the curtain already drawn, I turned away and went home. When I told these things to my brother-in-law, Abu Talha, he replied, " If things are as you say, then a writing will come down on the subject." It really came to pass as Abu Talha had surmised; for shortly after "the verse of the curtain" was sent down.'

It is said that when that prince had married Zeinab, the hypocrites of Medina made great use of their slanderous tongues, saying, 'Mohammed has taken his own son's wife.' Thereupon the following verses came down: 'Mohammed has not been the father of any one of you;' and, ' Name them after their own fathers; this will be more proper with God.'

In connection with Zeinab's virtues it is mentioned that on one occasion, when the Prophet was sitting amongst the emigrants, distributing booty to them, one of his pure wives sent to him, asking for one of the articles. He complied with the request, and likewise apportioned presents to all his other wives, except Zeinab. Upon this, Zeinab said to him, 'O Apostle of God, there is none amongst thy ladies to whom thou gavest no present except myself. To one thou gavest in consideration of her father; to others, in consideration of their brothers or relatives. It was, therefore, proper for thee to remember me also with a present, in consideration of Him who married and gave me to thee.' This word very much touched the Prophet, so that Omar rebuked Zeinab, saying, 'Why dost thou give pain to that prince?' She answered, 'Leave me alone, Omar if this thing had happened to thy daughter Hafza, wouldest thou have been content then?' His Excellency also said, 'O Omar, leave her alone: for verily she is compassionate.'

It is also narrated that Zeinab once said to the Prophet, 'I possess several excellencies of which none of thy other wives can boast: we two have one grandfather, my wedlock took place in heaven, and in this our affair the agent and witness was Gabriel.'

Abd Allah Ibn Omar narrates: 'The Apostle of God once said to his ladies, "That one of you who has the longest arm shall speedily reach me."' Upon this, the mothers of the believers took a reed and measured their arms. It was found that Sevda's arm was the longest. Afterwards, when Zeinab was the first to succeed the Prophet in death, it became manifest that by length of arm was meant liberality in almsgiving: for Zeinab gave away as alms all the produce from the sale of her handiwork. She died 53 years old, A.H. 20. In the current books ten traditions are derived from her, of which two are generally received.

REMARK.— The preceding account of Zeinab's marriage with Mohammed is in itself both sad and droll, even without making allowance for expurgations to which it appears to have been subjected, in favour of the Prophet. But the following explanatory remarks which the Mohammedan compiler of the Rawzat ul Ahbab appends to his narrative show that he studiously discarded from his reports what he considered prejudicial to the character of his hero. The reasons which he assigns for his benevolent discrimination also fully confirm the view, expressed in the present work, of the great need there exists for using the Mussulman sources of history, respecting Mohammed, with great caution. The singular logic adopted by the Mohammedan authors in screening their prophet's life and conduct, can leave little doubt that, had our information been derived from impartial sources, Mohammed would appear before us in a far more unfavourable light. The instructive remarks with which the compiler of the Rawzat feels it his duty to favour his readers, and which plainly set forth the principles generally acted upon by the biographers, are as follows:—

'Be it known that some of the Commentators, Traditionists, Biographers, Jurists, and Historians narrate this story about Zeid and Zeinab in a different way, which a perfect Mussulman cannot follow, as regards his Excellency the Prophet. In the preceding narrative we have only written down what we found in the writings of the most approved Traditionists, Biographers, and cautious authors. Mussulmans, therefore, must not be staggered, if they find in other books what we have omitted, though the authors of those books may have been great men and belonged to the orthodox community. For it is best to follow truth. Sheikh Shihab ud Din says in some of his works that one has to take refuge with God (i.e. indignantly to turn) from what some believe concerning the Apostle of God in the matter of Zeinab, because the Most High always kept that prince, so that every one of his words and actions was true and pure. That prince never perfidiously looked at the illicit, his look being preserved pure not only from what is treacherous in itself, but even from what has the mere appearance of treachery. This is proved by the fact that at the conquest of Mecca, when Othman brought Abd Allah Ibn Saad, whose death had been decided upon, into the presence of the Prophet, soliciting an amnesty for him, the Prophet returned no answer, and did not give the amnesty, until Othman had repeatedly importuned him for it; and, after Othman and Abd Allah had left, said to those present, ' Why did ye not cut off the head of