[Sidenote 40. The opening portion of the IXth Sura of the Koran only
relates to the Koreish who had violated the truce.]

[Sidenote: The injunctions contained in it were not carried out
owing to the compromise.]

Sir William Muir, while relating the publication of some verses of the
ninth chapter of the Koran on the occasion of the great pilgrimage A.H.
9, and referring to the opening verses of the Sura (from 1st to 7th
inclusive) writes: "The passages just quoted completed the system of
Mahomet so far as its relations with idolatrous tribes and races were
concerned. The few cases of truce excepted, uncompromising warfare was
declared against them all."[199] This is not correct. The mistake, he as
well as others who follow him commit, lies in their taking the incipient
verses of Chapter IX, as originally published at the end of the ninth
year of the Hegira, after the conquest of Mecca, in order to set aside
every obligation or league with the idolators to wage war with them,
either within or without the sacred territory, and "they were to be
killed, besieged, and laid in wait for _wheresoever found_."[200] In
fact it has no such bearing of generally setting aside the treaties, and
declaring _uncompromising warfare_, and was not published for the first
time on the occasion stated above. The opening verses of the ninth Sura
of the Koran, which I have quoted in full together with necessary notes
in para. 17 (pp. 22-25), revealed for the first time, were before the
conquest of Mecca, when the idolators thereof had broken the truce of
Hodeibia. Their violation of the treaty is expressly mentioned in verses
4, 8, 10 and 13, and the same verses also enjoin to respect and fulfil
the treaties of those idolators who had not broken theirs. Therefore
only those aggressors who had been guilty of a breach of faith, and
instigated others to take up arms against the Moslems in the attack of
Bani Bakr, on Khozaa, were to be waged war against, besieged, and taken
captives after the expiration of four months from the date of the
publication of the verses in question. But fortunately Abu Sofian
compromised before the commencement of the sacred months, and before the
period of the four months had elapsed. The people of Mecca submitted
without bloodshed, and hence it is obvious that the injunctions
contained in the commencement of the ninth chapter of the Koran were
never carried out. They remained as dead letter, and will, I think, so
r