150 THE REV. W. ST. CLAIR TISDALL, M.A., ON ISLAM: 
names as that of ‘Abdwllih, Muhammad’s father,* bear 
testimony to Arabic monotheism. Ibn Ishaq, the earliest 
biographer of Muhammad, whose work has comet down to us, 
in speaking of the religion of the ancient Arabs, tellst us that 
the tribes of Kinaénah and Qureish, when performing the 
ceremony termed /h/al, used to address the Deity in words 
which asserted their belief in His Oneness.§ Various local 
cults prevailed in different parts of the Peninsula, yet mono- 
theism was, in most if not in all parts of Arabia, at least 
theoretically recognised. _ Ash Shahristéni’s testimony|| on 
this point is conclusive. The Arabs of pre-Islémic times, he 
tells us, may with reference to religion be divided into 
various classes. Some believed in a Creator and a creation 
* Vide Ibn Hishim, Siratwr Rasil, Abt’l Fida, “ Life of Muham- 
mad,” etc., on Muhammad’s parentage. ‘Abdu’llah died some months 
before Muhammad’s birth. . 
+ Muhammad’s earliest biographer, Zuhrt, died a.m. 124. His work is 
no longer extant. Ibn Ishq (died A.H. 151), was his disciple, and he also 
wrote a work on the same subject, large fragments of which are preserved 
in Ibn Hishim’s Siratw’r Rasdl (died a.u. 213). I quote the Egyptian 
édition of the latter. 
ft Ibn Hisham, Siratwr Rasdl, Part I, pp. 27, 28 (Egyptian edition):— 
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le ley ii GN Cyt WO Ey st J 
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|| Ash Shabristaéni (in his work entitled a!', ee quoted by 
Abt’l Fidé, “ Hist. Ante-Islamica,” Fleischer’s edition, pp. 178-181 ; 
eide also Krehl, “ Uber die Religion der vorislamischen Araber,” pp. 4, 
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