124 Notice of a copy of the fourth volume [No. 2. 



Page 126. A letter of 'Orwah to the Khalif 'Abd al-Malik b. 

 Marwan which I transcribe here. " At first when he, that is to say, 

 the Messenger of .God, preached to his people the doctrine which 

 God had revealed to him, and began to diffuse the light which God 

 had sent to him, they did not much differ from him, and they were 

 half inclined to listen to him, (i. e. to follow him,) but when he 

 mentioned their Taghuts, shrines of idolatrous worship, there came 

 some men of the Qoraysh tribe, from Tayif who had property. They 

 denied the truth of what he said, they were very violent against him 

 and disapproved of his preaching, and they encouraged their followers 

 to be insolent against him, and the generality of the people left 

 him, and only those whom God preserved remained staunch. They 

 were few, and matters remained thus, as long as God had decreed that 

 they should remain. At length the heads of the families of Makkah 

 agreed to force those of their children, brothers and kinsmen, who 

 followed him, to forsake the religion of God. This persecution entailed 

 great hardships upon his followers. Some forsook him, but as many 

 as God pleased, remained staunch. When the Moslims were exposed 

 to these persecutions, the prophet ordered them to emigrate into 

 Abessynia. In Abessynia there was a righteous king whose name 

 was Najashy. No one in his country had to suffer injustice. 

 Abessynia was a place of commerce for the Qorayshites, where they 

 found protection and made a very good profit. It was altogether a 

 good market. The prophet ordered them to emigrate thither, and 

 the common people (who had no protection) from among the Moslims 

 went thither to avoid the persecutions at Makkah ; but he himself 

 remained and did not go away. This state of things continued for 

 some years, the Qorayshites were very violent against the followers of 

 the new religion. After that it spread, and men from among their 

 nobles embraced it." 



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