304 Origin and progress of writing down historical facts. [No 4. 



can develope itself again3t the truth of which we entertain doubts, 

 must be stronger in faith than in reasoning, and we might expect 

 that in 141 years, a number of fables would grow up regarding its 

 founder among his followers. The philosopher would therefore, 

 probably question our Arabist : "Whence has Ibn IsMq derived his 

 information ? Had he any written records or only traditions ? I 

 venture to assert, that none of the orientalists, who, previously to 

 myself, have written on the Life of Mohammad, was prepared to 

 give a reply. Our Arabist would probably have said, the records 

 consisted of traditions. And as he himself as well as every body 

 else would have taken "traditions" in our own sense of the word, 

 he would have been totally wrong, because there is a wide difference 

 between " Aydyth" and what we call " tradition ;" though the former, 

 for want of a better term, is usually translated by the latter. 



Before we can answer the question " had Ibn IsMq merely oral 

 sources of the biography of Mo/^ammad or written ones ?" it is neces- 

 sary to show whether the Moslims, during the first century after 

 the Hijrah, did write books at all. With a view of throwing light on 

 this question, I give here an abstract of a very important mono- 

 graphy of the Khatfyb Baghdady (d. 464 or 465) which is entitled 

 A*l\ *H#^ and consists of 180 pages. 

 I. — Sayings of Mohammad, from which it appears that he did not 



approve that his followers should take his sayings to paper or have 



any other booh but the " Booh of God" 



As^jJ* yQji j£ Jj^ ^Jtf j^J 

 " Do not write down any of my words, except the Qoran. (In 



the text of (^aghany is " besides the Qoran," in what follows both 



texts agree). Any one who has written down sayings of mine 



besides the Qoran is to expunge them." 



In two versions of this Mdyth of Abu Sa'yd Khodry is added 



" and he that says intentionally a falsehood on any authority, will 



find a place in fire." 



is) c^L> cj| 

 " Abu Sa'd Khodry, (d. 74,) relates, I asked permission of the 

 prophet to write down feadythes (i. e. his sayings and life) and he 

 refused it." 



