The Sentinel. [volume] (Trenton, N.J.) 1880-1882, 1882-09-30
Mohammed's Success.

The causes which led to Moham-
med's sue cess will be best understood
by taking rapid glance at the condi-
ton of Arabia at the time OF his birth,
t must be borne IN mind that vague
belief in one God existed among the
Arab tribes long before that event.
Nor must it be forgotten that the
Arabs and Jews were kindred races,
speaking kindred Languages and hav-
ing kindred customs, practices and
prejudices. Driven out of their own
land al successive epochs by Assyrians,
Greeks AMI Romans, many Jewish
tribes settled in Arabia; and when
the Roman Empire became Christian
lied, colonies of Christians also scat
tered everywhere, found their way
into the Arabian peninsula, using
much mutual attrition and in err
change of thought between Jews,
Christians and Arabians. o ccasionally
Arab tribes were thus converted to the
faith of the colonists. UnhaFpily,
both the Judaism and Christianity
imported in this way into the country
were Of debssed character. They
were not very much better than the
forms of religion already prevalent
among the Arab tribes. Even the
doctrine of Gods unity had been tam
pered with and corrupted. No creed
worthy of the name of religion existed
anywhere in Arabia. Tritheism,
polytheism, Sah@ism, adorstion of the
sun and planets, idolatry, fetishism,
animal worship, plant worship, stone
worship, superstitions of the grossest
kinds were rife in various ways among
various tribes. Nowhere, except in
the hearts of few of the more intelli-
gent and thoughtful, were any true
ideas of God still cherished. 1t was
| under such circumstances and amid
such surroundings that Mohammed,
1.-The praised one" Gas his name s1gni
ties), was born at Mecca about A. d.
$40. His father, Abdullah, died before
| his birth, and his mother, Animal,
when he was six years old. Yet he
enjoyed one gre at advantage, notwith-
! standing his orphaned condition. He
had not to waste time and energy in
pushing his way upward from obscur-
ity. His grandfather, Add ul- Mutta-
lib, who adopted him, belonged to the
Arabian aristocracy. He was of the
noble family of II ,shim, OF the Kuresh
| tribe, and was the appointed guardian
of the Ka'bah or sacred temple at
| Mecca, a small, cube-shaped stoae
| building which had existed as sacred
edifice for many centuries previously.
| The guardianship of this temple was
regarded as the highest honor to
which any family could aspire, the
| belief being that it was originally
erected by Abraham over the spot
where he was about to sacrifice Ish-
| mael. On the death of the grand
father of Mohammed, while. he was
still boy, his uncle, Abu Talib, be-
came his guardian, and during all his
difficulties never deserted him. His
family, though noble, was poor, and
the boy Mohamned WAS obliged to
earn his livelihood by tending sheep
in the wilderness; thus from his ear
hest years resembling his great proto-
type, Moses, who had to act as shep-
herd to his father in-law Jethro. 1t
was not until Mohamn ed was twenty
five years of age that he married his
rich kinswoman Khadijah. She was
widow lady who had acquired great
wealth by trading transactions, and
was fifteen years his senior. She had
intrusted the management Of her
affairs to Mohammed, and, having
found him emlnently trustworthy,
gave proof of her gratitude by offering
him her nand. 1t is remarkable that
he remained faithful to Khadijah till
her death, which did not occur till he
was in his fifty first year.