LIFE or MOHAM.MtD. 



215 



j-emonstrances/' said the daring fanatic ; " though 

 the idolaters should arm ag:ainst me the sun and the 

 moon, planting the one on my right hand and the 

 other on my left, it would not divert me from my 

 resolution."" ^leanwhile the Koreish, findnig that 

 neither threats nor entreaties could prevail, in a pub- 

 lic assembly of their whole tribe, pronounced sen- 

 tence of exile against all who had embraced the 



religion of Islam. . . , , , j 



Five years of the Prophet's mission had elapsed ; 

 and his" success may be estimated from the tradi- 

 tion that, of his disciples, who were now compelled 

 to seek refuse in voluntary banishment, only eighty- 

 three men and eighteen women, besides children, 

 retired to Abyssinia.* While he remained exposed 

 to this tempest of indignation at ?^Iecca, a fortunate 

 accident brought an im.portant accession to his party 

 in the conversion of two distinguished individuals— 

 the brave Hamza. one of his uncles, and Omar, the 

 second of the caliphs. The Koreish had secretly 

 plotted his death ; and there was only wanted an 

 arm bold enough to strike the blow. The^ fero- 

 cious Omar agreed to be the assassin ; but whether 

 through the remonstrances of a friend, or, accord- 

 ing to Abulfeda, by hearing a few sublime verses 

 of the Koran read, instead of plunging his dagger 

 in the breast of the apostle, the murderer was 

 transformed into one of his most devoted prose- 

 lytes. . , , 



For years the Koreish had beheld with jealousy 

 the rising pre-eminence of the family of Hashem. 

 Zeal for^their national religion imbittered those 

 political animosities, and served as a cloak to cover 

 their malice. A solemn decree was passed in the 

 name of the whole tribe, engaging themselves to 



* On this subject the Abyssinian annals are silent ; and the 

 Mohammedan statement has been considered a fiction.— i>u- 

 dnf. in Comment. ,ul Hist. Etkiop. p. 284. Maracci, m Prodrom. p. 

 i "cap -2. Ga'mier, not. ad Abii'fcd. p 24. La \ le de Muh. C.X- 



