PROGRESS OF ISLAMIC SCIENCE 503 



You will see that the traditions often show plainly the tendency to 

 uphold the lawfulness of the then actual constitution of the Islamic 

 state; since their collection and criticism took origin under the 

 shadow of the 'Abbaside Khalifate. Nay, we have proofs that say- 

 ings, which might be favorable to opposing political schemes were 

 directly suppressed. We have come, therefore, to the result that 

 the tradition acknowledged as authentic, far from being able to 

 pass for a testimony of the youth of Islam, has rather the varying 

 stamp of the diverging directions and currents prevailing im differ- 

 ent circles during the first three centuries. Hence the contradict- 

 ory accounts and orders about the same question in religious and 

 political affairs. Every school opinion has fabricated an authority 

 reaching back to the Prophet's time. Each of the diverging doc- 

 trines has for its support a sentence of the Prophet's, which bears 

 every appearance of authenticity, presenting itself in the most naive 

 and immediate manner. Orthodox believers, freethinkers, anthropo- 

 morphists, and spiritualists, all can show good traditions to support 

 their doctrines. 



The Islamic tradition presents the same picture in political history. 

 The distinguished Professor of Strassburg, Theodor Noldeke, has 

 proved recently (1898) in a classical essay, On the Tendentious Con- 

 struction of the History of the Primitive Ages of Islam, 1 how reports 

 about questions seemingly trivial, as, Who was Muhammad's first 

 follower? '- about the minute characteristics of Abu Talib, 'Alt's 

 father also of 'Abbas, the Prophet's uncle the reports about 

 the part they played in Muhammad's childhood were produced 

 by political and constitutional tendencies. 



The question, "To what end?" offers one of the most useful 

 points of view in judging the tradition of Islam. To have clear 

 insight into the laboratory of these highly appreciated documents 

 of primeval Islam, we must always keep in mind the ritualistic, 

 dogmatic, and political dissensions of struggling parties, which 

 emerged in Islam in the course of its ancient stages of development. 2 



Sometimes the very text of the tradition lets us see, as it were, its 

 own biography, for any one acquainted with the technics of this kind 

 of literature. You may see this, for instance, in a little fragment of 

 traditional text, which, though insignificant in itself, yet is highly 

 interesting as regards the history of civilization, and which I am 

 going to put before you in translation. For your better understand- 

 ing I must premise that the quotation is preceded by the following 

 doctrine attributed to the Prophet : " If you hear that the plague has 

 broken out in a country, do not go there; but if you are already 

 there, do not leave the country from fear of catching the illness. " 



1 Z D M G, vol 52. 



2 Cf. the author's Muhammadanische Studien, vol. n (Halle, 1890) 



