ither way; but there is a
difference of opinion with regard to the lesser sins. Some hold that they
can do them unwittingly, though even then it is not in any thing connected
with their office. Others again limit even this frailty to the period
before "wahi" (inspiration) comes upon them. The general opinion, however,
is that they are free from all sin, whether great or small. The frailties
which they show are merely reckoned as faults and slight imperfections not
amounting to sin.

This, to the Muslim mind at once disposes of a difficulty the Quran itself
raises on this point. With the exception of Jesus Christ, the
Anbiya-ulul-'Azm are spoken of as doing what every one except an orthodox
Muslim would call sin. Adam's transgression[148] is referred to in Sura ii.
29-37 and {156} in Sura vii. 10-24. I quote only one verse: "They said, 'O
our Lord! with ourselves have we dealt unjustly; if Thou forgive us not and
have not pity on us, we shall surely be of those that perish.'" The sin of
Noah is not specified in the Quran, yet it is plainly hinted at. "To Thee
verily, O my Lord, do I repair lest I ask that of Thee wherein I have no
knowledge: unless Thou forgive me and be merciful to me I shall be one of
the lost." (Sura xi. 49). There is also a similar request in Sura lxxi. 29.
Abraham is represented as saying to his people: "They whom ye worship, ye
and your fathers of early days, are my foes; but not so the Lord of the
worlds, who hath created me, and guideth me, who giveth me food and drink;
and when I am sick, he healeth me, and who will cause me to die and again
quicken me, and who, I hope, will forgive me my sins in the day of
reckoning." (Sura xxvi. 75-82). Moses is described as having done "a work
of Satan" in killing a man, and as saying: "'O my Lord, I have sinned to my
own hurt; forgive me.' So God forgave him; for He is the forgiving, the
merciful. He said: 'Lord, because thou hast showed me this grace, I will
never again be the helper of the wicked.'" (Sura xxviii. 15, 16).

The following passages refer to Muhammad. "Be thou steadfast and patient;
for true is the promise of God; and seek pardon for thy fault."[149] (Sura
xl. 57). "Ask pardon for thy sin, and for believers, both men and women."
(Sura xlvii. 21). The scandal caused by the Prophet's conduct with the wife
of Zeid, and with the Egyptian slave Mary, necessitated a pretended
revelation of God's will in reference to these events. The circumstances
w