_

After the surrender of Grenada, Cardinal Ximenes caused every copy of
the Koran of which he could obtain possession to be burned. The
ignorant and superstitious soldiery mistook for that work everything
written in the Arabic language, and committed to the flames a multitude
of compositions both in prose and verse.

H, page 178.

_The Abencerrages, &c._

The inhabitants of Grenada, and, indeed, the whole Moorish people, were
divided into tribes, composed of the different branches of the same
family. Some of these tribes were more numerous and important than
others: but two distinct {226} races were never united together, nor
was one of them ever divided. At the head of each of these tribes was
a chief who was descended in a direct male line from the original
founder of the family. In the city of Grenada there existed thirty-two
considerable tribes. The most important of these were the
Abencerrages, the Zegris, the Alcenabez, the Almorades, the Vanegas,
the Gomeles, the Abidbars, the Gauzuls, the Abenamars, the Aliatars,
the Reduans, the Aldoradins, etc. These separate races were, many of
them, at enmity with each other; and their animosity being perpetuated
from one generation to another, gave rise to the frequent civil wars
which were attended with such disastrous consequences to the nation at
large.

I, page 198

_His humane injunctions respecting almsgiving, &c._

Almsgiving is one of the leading principles of the Mohammedan religion.
It was enjoined upon the followers of the Prophet by a variety of
allegories, among which is the following: "The sovereign Judge shall,
at the last great day, entwine him who has not bestowed alms with a
frightful serpent, whose envenomed sting shall for ever pierce the
avaricious hand that never opened for the relief of the unfortunate!"

{227}

A BRIEF ACCOUNT

OF THE

RISE AND DECLINE

OF THE

MOHAMMEDAN EMPIRE;

THE LITERATURE, SCIENCE, AND RELIGION OF THE ARABS;

AND THE PRESENT CONDITION OF MOHAMMEDANISM

{229}

A

BRIEF ACCOUNT

OF THE

MOHAMMEDAN EMPIRE.

CHAPTER I.

Extent of the Arabian Empire.--Causes which led to that
extent.--Continuance of Mohammedanism.--Decay of the Empire.--What led
to it.--Spain revolts and sets up a separate
Caliph.--Africa.--Egypt.--Bagdad.--Fall of the House of the Abbassides.

The first battle in which the Arabs tried their power against the
disciplined forces of the Roman empire was t