as they are sometimes called, after their principal place of residence, the city of Mecca), he was denounced by all the Koreish tribe. Many of his people were stiU devoted to Sabaism (q. v.), a somewhat refined worship of the planetary bodies (in aU probability the belief of the Koreish in the century preceding the establishment of the ]\Iohammedan creed; compare Sprenger, Life of Mohammed, i, 170 ; Milman's Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roinan Empire, \, 92 sq. ; Milman, iMtin Christi- anity, ii, 127 ; and the article Arabia, vol. i, p. 342, in this Cyclopaedia), while many others, although disbe- lieving the general idolatry of their countrymen, and not yet believers in Judaism, or in the corrupt Christi- anity with which alone they were acquainted, were looking for a revival of what they called the '"religion of Abraham." Indeed, the greater the number of Mo- hammed's converts, the greater the opposition of his tribe ; for had not the new religionists dared to question the sacredness of the holy temple, and call their ancient gods idols, and their ancestors fools? \^'ith all tlie an- imosity of an established priesthood trembling for their dignity, their power, and their wealth, the Koreish re- sisted the inroads of the new prophet, and though there were of their number those who had actually longed for the propagation of a monotheistic faith, they now spurn- ed its establishment, as it was likely to give superiority to the faihily of Hashem, only a side branch of the pow- erful tribe. JIany of the converts suffered all manner of annoyance ; not a few were subjected also to punish- ment. In consequence of this contest, Moliamnied felt constrained to advise his followers to seek refuge in Abyssinia. He himself had hitherto escaped only by the heroic conduct of his adopted father, Abu Talib, who, though not a believer in the new religion, consid- ered it his dutj' to afford protection to Mohammed and all his kindred. But the rapid spread of the Islamitish doctrines made the Koreish violent, and they now de- manded that Jlohammed should be delivered into their hands. Upon Abu Talib's refusal to comjily with their demands a feud resulted, and all the Hashemites were excommunicated. The Prophet himself, however, they sought to remove by secret assassination ; a price was set upon his head — 100 camels and 1000 ounces of sil- ver— and he escaped their vengeance only by the self- possession with which one of his converts, Nueim, met the would-be assassin Omar. " Ere thou doest the deed," said Nueim, "look to thine own near kindred." Omar rushed infatuated to the bouse of his sister Fatima to punish her apostasy, but tliere the Koran was present- ed to him ; he read a few sentences, and was changed into a follower of the Prophet. Yet did not the Koreish- ites abate their hostility; and it is said that for three long years Jlohammed was under the depressing influ- ence of the interdict, and constantly obliged even to change his bed in order to ehide the midnight assassin (comp. Sale's Koran, ch. xxxvi; D'llcrbclot, Biblioth. Orientcde, p. 445). A fugitive from his native city, and despairing of making ^lecca, the metropolis of the na- tional religion, the centre of his new spiritual empire, he turned to the friendly city of Medina, whither more than a hundred of his faithful flock had preceded him. Here he found a kind reception, and succeeded in win- ning for his cause and creed six of the most distinguish- ed citizens. From this flight, or rather from the first month of the next Arabic year, the Mohanmiedan ajra {Heyira, q. v.) is dated. See Mohamjied.
Once successfully established at INIedina, Moham- med's first object was to secure his native stronghold, and for this purpose ho declared himself at war with the Meccans, and o])ened the contest even during the sacred month of the Kajab. The fair option of friendship, submission, or battle was proposed to the enemies of Mohammed. If tliey should profess the creed of Islam, they were to be admitted to all the temporal and spirit- ual benefits of his ])rimitive disciples, and to march un- der the same banner to extend the religion which they had embraced. In his very first battle he routed the
KORHITE
155 KORNTHAL, SOCIETY OF
Koreishites, and, notwithstanding a severe \oss and a personal wound in tlie battle near Ohod, his power had increased so rapidly that in the sixth year of the He- gira he determined upon and proclaimed a pilgrimage to Mecca. Although the Meccans did not suffer him to carry out tliis project, he secured their recognition as a belligerent and equal power with themselves by a formal treaty of jieace, into which they mutually entered. In the year following he was allowed to spend a three-days' pilgrimage undisturbed at Mecca. The unfortunate attitude of tlie Xoreishites towards jMohammed during his wars with the Christians emboldened him to seek immediate revenge for their treachery-, and at the liead of an army of l(),0(iO men he marched against Mec- ca, before its inhabitants had time to prepare for the attack, without difficulty became master of the place, and readily secured acknowledgment as chief and proj)!!- et. Among the first to fall jjrostrate at his feet were the chiefs of the Koreish. " What mercy can you ex- pect from the man whom j'ou have wTonged ?" " We confide in the generosity of our kinsman." '"And you shall not confide in vain ; begone ! You are safe, you are free." With the conquest of Mecca the victory of the new religion was secured in all Arabia, and for the history succeeding this event we must refer to Moiiaji- MED and Mohammedanism. For the detail of the three Koreishite wars, see references in jNlilman's Gibbon, ii, 133. See also Mecca ; Medina. (J. II.W.)