phets, Mahomet was said to
be mad and to be possessed by a spirit; and these accusations stung
him, because he himself had at first apprehended something of the
kind. The later pieces were of a different character; he had the
power afterwards of producing a revelation to suit any situation
which arose; but the contents of the earlier ones were not unworthy
of being revelations, and such he felt them to be.

[Footnote 3: Or, Preach!--loud reading or repetition being the mode
of claiming attention for the divine word.]

His Preaching.--He preached the new truth at first to those with whom
he was intimate. It was not new but old; it was the religion of
Abraham that he preached, that of the Book of which both Jews and
Christians had counterparts; he did not think of founding a new
religion. He called his own household and his relatives to submit
themselves to Allah, the supreme Lord and the righteous Judge, before
whose judgment they must soon stand. They were to put away heathen
vices and to practise the duty of regular prayer, of giving alms
without hoping for any advantage from it, and of temperance. After a
time he is encouraged by new suras to preach publicly, and does so.
The Meccans, however, do not listen to him. The prophet's preaching
acquires by this opposition a sternness it did not possess at first,
and he proceeds to attack the popular worship in a way fitted to stir
up against him the bitterest hostility. The Meccans hear from him
that the religion to which all Arabia flocks together, and without
which they would do little trade, is not only a vanity but a thing
abhorrent to Allah, and undoubtedly drawing down damnation on all who
partake in it; and that their forefathers are unquestionably in hell.
Such preaching could not be tolerated; Mahomet's friends are appealed
to to stop his mouth, but in vain, and his fellow-tribesmen, though
they do not believe in him, yet protect him, as the laws of kindred
require.

Persecution.--Mahomet suffers as other prophets have done; he is
ridiculed, misjudged, threatened. On the other hand he has his
consolations; when depressed he receives encouraging messages from
above. His enemies will perish; his cause will succeed; the day will
come when men will flock to his doctrine in crowds. Persecution,
however, is not without effect on him: on one occasion he attempted
to compromise matters with idolatry; in a sura recited at the Caaba
he allowed himself to use certain comp