The Shasta courier., 1865-12-16
NUMBER 40.
Mohammed.

Mohammed, or Mahomet. the founder of
religion which has spread over considerable
portion Of the globe, was born in 670, at
Mecca, city OF Arabia, of the noble family
ut Horeish. Losing his father in his infancy,
the guardianship of him devoIved on his
uncle. Abu Taleb, who employed him to 90
with his caravans from Mecca to Damascus,
In this employment he continued till he was
twentv-eight years of age, when he married
Khadijah. a rich widow He continued to
act for some time as a merchant: but dis
position to religions contemplation seems tc
have attended him from his early youth and
having remarked on his travels the infinite
variety of sects which prevailed. he formed
the idea Of founding new one. He accord
ingly spent much of his tine in a cave
near Mecca, seemingly alone. and employed
in meditation and prayer; but in reality he
called to his aid Persian Jew, well versed
in the history and laws of his persuasion. and
two Christians. one of the Jacobite and the
other of the HISTORIAN sect With the help
of these men he framed the celebrated " Ko-
ran,' or Book" which be pretended to
have received at different times from Heaven
by the hands of the angel Gabriel. At the age
of forty he publicly assumed the prophetic
character, calling himself the apostle of God.
At first he had only his wife and eight follow
CTS Dut III tiItc JCdTS inc HuuiUtT Vi MS
disciples were very considerably augmented.
On these he imposed the most marvellous
tales, and pretended to have passed into the
highest heavens in one night, on the back of
a beautiful ass, called Alborak, and accom-
panied by the Angel Gabriel. In the tenth
year of his mission, he lost both Abu Taleb
| and his faithful wife, Khadiiah, which SO
| exposed him to the enmity of the Koreishites
that he found 1T necessary to make a tempo
rary retreat to the city of 1'ayef. The funda.
mental doctrine inculcated by the Koran was,
There is but one God, and Mohammed is
his prophet" His proselytes rapidly in.
creased; and as they swore fidelity to him,
and profered their assistance he adopted the
resolution of encountering his enemies with
force. Being the more exaspel ated at this,
they formed conspiracy to murder him.
Warned of the imminent danger, he left
Mecca, accompanied only by Abubeker. and
concealed himself in neighboring cave
Here he spent three days undiscovered, after
which he arrived at Medina. 1t is from this
event, called the Hegira or Flight, that the
| Mussulmans compute their time it CORES
ponds with the 10th Of June. 600 Mnham.
med now assumed the sacerdotal and regal
dignity, married Ayesha, dan ghter of Abu-
beker. and declared his resolution to propa-
gate his doctrines by the sword. The hopes
of booty were thus added to the religious zeal
of his partsans and after many minor
exploits with various hostile tribes of the
| Jewish persuasion, he sent summons to the
| principal neighboring princes, particularly
| Chosrou Parviz, King of Persia, Heraclius.
Emperor of Constantnople. Makawkas. ruler
of Egypt. the King Of Ethiopia, and the
! princes of various districts of Arabia, to
embrace his new revelation of the divine law.
The more remote and powerful parties gave
no heed to him others. however, submitted:
| and having made himself master of Mecca.
the Arabs, who regarded it rs a holy cty.
embraced the profered creed. In the tenth
year of the Hegira Mohammed undertook
his farewell pilgrimage to Mecca On this
| occasion he was surrounded with the utmost
splendor, and attended by ninety thousand,
or, as some say, one hundred and fifty thou.
sand friends. This was the last important
event of his life. He died soon after his re.
turn to Medina, in his sixty third year. The
MOhammedan writers undoubtedly exagger-
cite the corporeal and mental endowments of
their prophet it is, however, very credible
that there was prepossessing majesty in his
appearance, and that he united much natural
eloquence with decisive and enterprising
mind. The reverence which the faithful
Moslems pay to the prophet, and all that is
connected with him in the remotest degree,
proves the sincerity with which they believe
in his Divine mission. The wonder-lJving
populace alone gives credence to the ia le
that Mohammed's cutin is suspended in the
air; on the contrary, he lies buried at Medi
ma, where he died and an urn. enclosed in
the holy chapel, constitutes his sepulchre,
which is surrounded with iron trellis work,
and is accessible TO no one.
The success of Mohammed's imposture
during his life time is not more astonishing
than the permanence which his doctrines have
maintained over one of the fairest portions
of the globe, during near twelve hundred
years The Koran is compound of sublime
truths, of Incredible tales, and ludicrous
events. but the whole is delivered in pleas.
ing, elegant and nervous style That Mo.
hammed. who was rude and illiterate should
compose a book, deservedly esteemed the
standard of elegance among the Arabians,
without Divine assistance, was considered
impossible among his followers, and there.
fore they believed the sublime composition to
be the work of God, as the prophet informed
them.