A CHINESE LIFE OF MOHAMMED 171 



honour of adjusting the stone; none would yield, and it 

 looked likely that serious trouble would arise, when someone 

 suggested that they should let the question be decided by 

 whoever first entered a certain gate ; this was agreed to, and 

 the first comer happened to be Mohammed, at which all were 

 pleased, as they said he was a man they could trust. Moham- 

 med took off his cloak and spread it on the ground and put 

 the stone on it, then directed a representative of each family 

 to take hold of a part of the garment and lift the stone, then 

 Mohammed with his own hands guided it into position. The 

 others all bowed to his wisdom and marvelled at his strength, 

 as the Black Stone is of considerable size and weighs over 

 1,000 catties, and that one man should move it as easily as 

 if it was a reed, and that a thin garment should hold it in 

 the lifting without being torn, these were things of wonder. 

 It is, however, necessary to say here that the size of the 

 Black Stone is greatly exaggerated in this account; the 

 weight given above is more than half a ton ! Burkhart says : 

 "The stone is an irregular oval about seven inches in dia- 

 meter." Burton says: "I found the aperture in which the 

 stone is, one span and three fingers broad." Mohammed told 

 the people that from this time forth the Kaaba would never 

 need to be rebuilt again. 



At 38 years of age, the Prophet sometimes heard voices 

 in space above him, as though they were asking and answer- 

 ing questions; when in bed he heard sounds of praise; these 

 sounds sometimes moved around, as if they were following a 

 leader. He also saw a bright light appear in space, and from 

 his own body there emanated a light so that when he got up 

 in the dark, without any lamp or candle, things would be 

 seen as if in daylight. Sometimes when a thing was lost in 

 the dark, if Mohammed came they could see, and the thing 

 was soon found. 



At this point our author discusses the relations of 

 Mohammed to older religions; he says that some say he 

 followed the religion of Moses, others say of Jesus, and yet 

 others say that he followed only his own religion; none of 

 these sayings are quite correct, as both before and after 

 receiving his divine commission, he followed the religion of 

 Abraham. When an infant he repeated the Takbir = "God 

 is very great;" and on all occasions he used to repeat the 

 Tasmiyah, = "In the name of God the Compassionate." 

 At eight years of age he hid from the priests and idols ; young 

 as he was he knew to worship the God who is without form 

 or likeness. At his marriage, and at funerals, he used the 

 ceremonies of Abraham. 



