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



rity for it : Yunos b. Moh. b. Fodhalah Tzafary, who had it from his 

 father. His Secretary Ibn Sa'd added another authority, viz. Kabis b. 

 Zayd from al-Mottalib b. 'Abd Allah b. Hantib e^kU*. 



The first tradition runs in Tabary : When the prophet saw that his 

 people forsook him, he was much grieved to observe that they turned 

 away from the revelation which he brought from God. He therefore 

 conceived a desire in his mind, that God might send him a revelation 

 calculated to conciliate his people to him. And filled as he was with 

 a love for his people, and with a wish for a union with them, he 

 cherished the idea that there might be some means of alleviating the 

 persecutions to which he was exposed from them, and he went so far 

 as to meditate on it, and to wish for it ; whilst his mind was thus occu- 

 pied, God sent him the revelation (Surah 53) : " By the star when it 

 passes on away," &c, and when he came to the words " Do you see the 

 idol al-Lat and al-'Ozza and Manah who is the third ?" the devil 

 prompted him to say that which he (Mohammad) had revolved in his 

 own mind, and what he had wished, that it might be sent through him 

 to his people, viz. "Do you see • those noble swans? their interces- 

 sion will be graciously received by God.' When the Qorayshites heard 

 this they were delighted, and they were pleased with the manner in 

 which he had mentioned their gods, and they listened to him. As to 

 his followers they were persuaded that whatever message their prophet 

 brought them from God, was without error or mistake. And when he 

 came to the end of the Surah, where it is said, and therefore," Fall down 

 before God and worship him," he prostrated himself, and his followers 

 did the same, acknowledging herewith that they considered what their 

 prophet had said was true and in obedience to his order ; and every man 

 who was present in the place of worship, observed this ceremony, the 

 idolaters among the Qorayshites not excepted, they being satisfied by 

 the manner in which he had spoken of their gods. There was not a 

 man in the place of worship, whether Moslim or unbeliever, who did 

 not prostrate himself, except al-Walyd b. al-Moghyrah. He was very 

 old (and unable to touch the ground with his forehead), and he there- 

 fore, took up a handful of gravel from the ground and touched his 

 forehead with it. After this they left the place of worship, and the 

 Qorayshites dispersed, much pleased with the manner in which he had 

 mentioned their gods, and they said Mohammad has spoken of our 



