228 LIFE OF MOHAMMED. 



The religion of the Koran, after struggling with 

 thirteen years of misfortune, might liave withered 

 in the bud, had it not struck firm root m the loyalty 

 and devotion of the Medinian converts. The first 

 care of the apostle was to erect a place of worship, 

 where he might publicly discharge the sacred func- 

 tions of his office. A small parcel of desolate ground 

 was purchased by Abu Beker, and on this chosen 

 spot were founded a mosque and a house for the 

 prophet. It was the patrimony of two orphans ; 

 and the enemies of Mohammed have gravely but 

 falsely accused him of despoiling the helpless chil- 

 dren of their inheritance.* 



To hasten the completion of this venerable struc. 

 ture Mohammed laboured with his own hands ; it 

 was'merely a rude chapel with mud walls, on which 

 was placed a roof of palm-leaves, supported by tiie 

 trunks of date-trees for pillars. Near it was built 

 a house for his youthful bride, Ayesha, then only in 

 her ninth year,-such is the premature ripeness of 

 Eastern climes. Already the Prophet had divided 

 his affections between her and Sawda, one ot his 



seauentlv that the money demanded was not then due, ordained, 

 that to remedy all such inconveniences, their computations m 

 future should begin with the flight of the apostle from Mecca 

 tE new eS however, made no alteration in the ancient 

 fo?m of The Arabian year, which commenced, as before on the 

 first of the month Moharram, llfty-nme days earlier than the 

 denarture of the prophet. But in order to simplify their calcu- 

 latwns the Hejira was made to precede the real event by hfty- 

 nme days and L generally supposed to correspond with I nday, 

 fhp 1 6th of Julv, in the year of our chronology 622. 



* Pruieaux's s ory of the robbery of the poor orphans sons 

 of a cVrpeX, and the injustice of the impostor, is shown to be 

 erroneous Al Najjar, vihich he translates carpenter, was the 

 name of a rich and^noble tribe. Gagnier adduces the authority 

 of Jannabi and Bokhari, that the ground was offered him m a 

 n esenf vihTch he refused ; and that Abu Beker paid the money 

 Efhis f npocket. :; 11,^1- f-^-X^roliTufaS^^^^^^ 



FiedeMa/i. p. 302, 



