A Literary History of the Arabs Part 8

The mothers were accompanied by their children, whose tender age did not always protect them from an exasperated foe. It is related that a horseman of the Banu Taghlib transfixed a young boy and lifted him up on the point of his spear. He is said to have been urged to this act of savagery by one al-Bazbaz, who was riding behind him on the crupper.

Their triumph was short; al-Find saw them, and with a single spear-thrust pinned them to each other--an exploit which his own verses record.

On this day the Banu Bakr gained a great victory, and broke the power of Taghlib. It was the last battle of note in the Forty Years' War, which was carried on, by raiding and plundering, until the exhaustion of both tribes and the influence of King Mundhir III of ?ira brought it to an end.

[Sidenote: The War of Da?is and Ghabra.]

Not many years after the conclusion of peace between Bakr and Taghlib, another war, hardly less famous in tradition than the War of Basus, broke out in Central Arabia. The combatants were the tribes of 'Abs and Dhubyan, the princ.i.p.al stocks of the Banu Gha?afan, and the occasion of their coming to blows is related as follows:--

Qays, son of Zuhayr, was chieftain of 'Abs. He had a horse called Da?is, renowned for its speed, which he matched against Ghabra, a mare belonging to ?udhayfa b. Badr, the chief of Dhubyan. It was agreed that the course should be a hundred bow-shots in length, and that the victor should receive a hundred camels. When the race began Ghabra took the lead, but as they left the firm ground and entered upon the sand, where the 'going' was heavy, Da?is gradually drew level and pa.s.sed his antagonist. He was nearing the goal when some Dhubyanites sprang from an ambuscade prepared beforehand, and drove him out of his course, thus enabling Ghabra to defeat him. On being informed of this foul play Qays naturally claimed that he had won the wager, but the men of Dhubyan refused to pay even a single camel. Bitterly resenting their treachery, he waylaid and slew one of ?udhayfa's brothers. ?udhayfa sought vengeance, and the murder of Malik, a brother of Qays, by his hors.e.m.e.n gave the signal for war. In the fighting which ensued Dhubyan more than held their own, but neither party could obtain a decisive advantage. Qays slew the brothers ?udhayfa and ?amal--

"_?amal I slew and eased my heart thereby, ?udhayfa glutted my avenging brand; But though I slaked my thirst by slaying them, I would as lief have lost my own right hand._"[127]

After a long period--forty years according to the traditional computation--'Abs and Dhubyan were reconciled by the exertions of two chieftains of the latter tribe, ?arith b. 'Awf and Harim b.

Sinan, whose generous and patriotic intervention the poet Zuhayr has celebrated. Qays went into exile. "I will not look," he said, "on the face of any woman of Dhubyan whose father or brother or husband or son I have killed." If we may believe the legend, he became a Christian monk and ended his days in 'Uman.

[Sidenote: The Hijaz.]

Descending westward from the highlands of Najd the traveller gradually approaches the Red Sea, which is separated from the mountains running parallel to it by a narrow strip of coast-land, called the Tihama (Netherland). The rugged plateau between Najd and the coast forms the ?ijaz (Barrier), through which in ancient times the Sabaean caravans laden with costly merchandise pa.s.sed on their way to the Mediterranean ports. Long before the beginning of our era two considerable trading settlements had sprung up in this region, viz., Macoraba (Mecca) and, some distance farther north, Yathrippa (Yathrib, the Pre-islamic name of Medina). Of their early inhabitants and history we know nothing except what is related by Mu?ammadan writers, whose information reaches back to the days of Adam and Abraham. Mecca was the cradle of Islam, and Islam, according to Mu?ammad, is the religion of Abraham, which was corrupted by succeeding generations until he himself was sent to purify it and to preach it anew. Consequently the Pre-islamic history of Mecca has all been, so to speak, 'Islamised.' The Holy City of Islam is made to appear in the same light thousands of years before the Prophet's time: here, it is said, the Arabs were united in worship of Allah, hence they scattered and fell into idolatry, hither they return annually as pilgrims to a shrine which had been originally dedicated to the One Supreme Being, but which afterwards became a Pantheon of tribal deities.

This theory lies at the root of the Mu?ammadan legend which I shall now recount as briefly as possible, only touching on the salient points of interest.

[Sidenote: Foundation of the Ka'ba.]

In the Meccan valley--the primitive home of that portion of the Arab race which claims descent from Isma'il (Ishmael), the son of Ibrahim (Abraham) by Hajar (Hagar)--stands an irregular, cube-shaped building of small dimensions--the Ka'ba. Legend attributes its foundation to Adam, who built it by Divine command after a celestial archetype. At the Deluge it was taken up into heaven, but was rebuilt on its former site by Abraham and Ishmael. While they were occupied in this work Gabriel brought the celebrated Black Stone, which is set in the southeast corner of the building, and he also instructed them in the ceremonies of the Pilgrimage. When all was finished Abraham stood on a rock known to later ages as the _Maqamu Ibrahim_, and, turning to the four quarters of the sky, made proclamation: "O ye people! The Pilgrimage to the Ancient House is prescribed unto you. Hearken to your Lord!" And from every part of the world came the answer: "_Labbayka 'llahumma, labbayka_"--_i.e._, "We obey, O G.o.d, we obey."

[Sidenote: Idolatry introduced at Mecca.]

The descendants of Ishmael multiplied exceedingly, so that the barren valley could no longer support them, and a great number wandered forth to other lands. They were succeeded as rulers of the sacred territory by the tribe of Jurhum, who waxed in pride and evil-doing until the vengeance of G.o.d fell upon them. Mention has frequently been made of the Bursting of the d.y.k.e of Ma'rib, which caused an extensive movement of Yemenite stocks to the north. The invaders halted in the ?ijaz, and, having almost exterminated the Jurhumites, resumed their journey. One group, however--the Banu Khuza'a, led by their chief Lu?ayy--settled in the neighbourhood of Mecca. 'Amr, son of Lu?ayy, was renowned among the Arabs for his wealth and generosity. Ibn Hisham says: 'I have been told by a learned man that 'Amr b. Lu?ayy went from Mecca to Syria on some business and when he arrived at Ma'ab, in the land of al-Balqa, he found the inhabitants, who were 'Amaliq, worshipping idols.

"What are these idols?" he inquired. "They are idols that send us rain when we ask them for rain, and help us when we ask them for help." "Will ye not give me one of them," said 'Amr, "that I may take it to Arabia to be worshipped there?" So they gave him an idol called Hubal, which he brought to Mecca and set it up and bade the people worship and venerate it.'[128] Following his example, the Arabs brought their idols and installed them round the sanctuary. The triumph of Paganism was complete. We are told that hundreds of idols were destroyed by Mu?ammad when he entered Mecca at the head of a Moslem army in 8 A.H.

= 629 A.D.

[Sidenote: The Quraysh.]

To return to the posterity of Isma'il through 'Adnan: the princ.i.p.al of their descendants who remained in the ?ijaz were the Hudhayl, the Kinana, and the Quraysh. The last-named tribe must now engage our attention almost exclusively. During the century before Mu?ammad we find them in undisputed possession of Mecca and acknowledged guardians of the Ka'ba--an office which they administered with a shrewd appreciation of its commercial value. Their rise to power is related as follows:--

[Sidenote: The story of Qu?ayy.]

[Sidenote: Qu?ayy master of Mecca.]

Kilab b. Murra, a man of Quraysh, had two sons, Zuhra and Zayd. The latter was still a young child when his father died, and soon afterwards his mother, Fa?ima, who had married again, left Mecca, taking Zayd with her, and went to live in her new husband's home beside the Syrian borders. Zayd grew up far from his native land, and for this reason he got the name of Qu?ayy--_i.e._, 'Little Far-away.' When he reached man's estate and discovered his true origin he returned to Mecca, where the hegemony was wholly in the hands of the Khuza'ites under their chieftain, ?ulayl b.

?ubshiyya, with the determination to procure the superintendence of the Ka'ba for his own people, the Quraysh, who as pure-blooded descendants of Isma'il had the best right to that honour. By his marriage with ?ubba, the daughter of ?ulayl, he hoped to inherit the privileges vested in his father-in-law, but ?ulayl on his deathbed committed the keys of the Ka'ba to a kinsman named Abu Ghubshan. Not to be baffled, Qu?ayy made the keeper drunk and persuaded him to sell the keys for a skin of wine--hence the proverbs "A greater fool than Abu Ghubshan" and "Abu Ghubshan's bargain," denoting a miserable fraud. Naturally the Khuza'ites did not acquiesce in the results of this transaction; they took up arms, but Qu?ayy was prepared for the struggle and won a decisive victory. He was now master of Temple and Town and could proceed to the work of organisation. His first step was to bring together the Quraysh, who had previously been dispersed over a wide area, into the Meccan valley--this earned for him the t.i.tle of _al-Mujammi'_ (the Congregator)--so that each family had its allotted quarter. He built a House of a.s.sembly (_Daru 'l-Nadwa_), where matters affecting the common weal were discussed by the Elders of the tribe. He also inst.i.tuted and centred in himself a number of dignities in connection with the government of the Ka'ba and the administration of the Pilgrimage, besides others of a political and military character. Such was his authority that after his death, no less than during his life, all these ordinances were regarded by the Quraysh as sacred and inviolable.

[Sidenote: Mecca in the sixth century after Christ.]

The death of Qu?ayy may be placed in the latter half of the fifth century. His descendant, the Prophet Mu?ammad, was born about a hundred years afterwards, in 570 or 571 A.D. With one notable exception, to be mentioned immediately, the history of Mecca during the period thus defined is a record of petty factions unbroken by any event of importance. The Prophet's ancestors fill the stage and a.s.sume a commanding position, which in all likelihood they never possessed; the historical rivalry of the Umayyads and 'Abbasids appears in the persons of their founders, Umayya and Hashim--and so forth. Meanwhile the influence of the Quraysh was steadily maintained and extended. The Ka'ba had become a great national rendezvous, and the crowds of pilgrims which it attracted from almost every Arabian clan not only raised the credit of the Quraysh, but also materially contributed to their commercial prosperity. It has already been related how Abraha, the Abyssinian viceroy of Yemen, resolved to march against Mecca with the avowed purpose of avenging upon the Ka'ba a sacrilege committed by one of the Quraysh in the church at ?an'a. Something of that kind may have served as a pretext, but no doubt his real aim was to conquer Mecca and to gain control of her trade.

[Sidenote: The Year of the Elephant.]

[Sidenote: The Abyssinians at Mecca.]

This memorable expedition[129] is said by Moslem historians to have taken place in the year of Mu?ammad's birth (about 570 A.D.), usually known as the Year of the Elephant--a proof that the Arabs were deeply impressed by the extraordinary spectacle of these huge animals, one or more of which accompanied the Abyssinian force. The report of Abraha's preparations filled the tribesmen with dismay. At first they endeavoured to oppose his march, regarding the defence of the Ka'ba as a sacred duty, but they soon lost heart, and Abraha, after defeating Dhu Nafar, a ?imyarite chieftain, encamped in the neighbourhood of Mecca without further resistance. He sent the following message to 'Abdu 'l-Mu??alib, the Prophet's grandfather, who was at that time the most influential personage in Mecca: "I have not come to wage war on you, but only to destroy the Temple. Unless you take up arms in its defence, I have no wish to shed your blood." 'Abdu 'l-Mu??alib replied: "By G.o.d, we seek not war, for which we are unable. This is G.o.d's holy House and the House of Abraham, His Friend; it is for Him to protect His House and Sanctuary; if He abandons it, we cannot defend it."

[Sidenote: 'Abdu 'l-Mu??alib's interview with Abraha.]

Then 'Abdu 'l-Mu??alib was conducted by the envoy to the Abyssinian camp, as Abraha had ordered. There he inquired after Dhu Nafar, who was his friend, and found him a prisoner. "O Dhu Nafar,"

said he, "can you do aught in that which has befallen us?" Dhu Nafar answered, "What can a man do who is a captive in the hands of a king, expecting day and night to be put to death? I can do nothing at all in the matter, but Unays, the elephant-driver, is my friend; I will send to him and press your claims on his consideration and ask him to procure you an audience with the king. Tell Unays what you wish: he will plead with the king in your favour if he can." So Dhu Nafar sent for Unays and said to him, "O Unays, 'Abdu 'l-Mu??alib is lord of Quraysh and master of the caravans of Mecca. He feeds the people in the plain and the wild creatures on the mountain-tops. The king has seized two hundred of his camels.

Now get him admitted to the king's presence and help him to the best of your power." Unays consented, and soon 'Abdu 'l-Mu??alib stood before the king. When Abraha saw him he held him in too high respect to let him sit in an inferior place, but was unwilling that the Abyssinians should see the Arab chief, who was a large man and a comely, seated on a level with himself; he therefore descended from his throne and sat on his carpet and bade 'Abdu 'l-Mu??alib sit beside him. Then he said to his dragoman, "Ask him what he wants of me." 'Abdu 'l-Mu??alib replied, "I want the king to restore to me two hundred camels of mine which he has taken away." Abraha said to the dragoman, "Tell him: You pleased me when I first saw you, but now that you have spoken to me I hold you cheap. What! do you speak to me of two hundred camels which I have taken, and omit to speak of a temple venerated by you and your fathers which I have come to destroy?" Then said 'Abdu 'l-Mu??alib: "The camels are mine, but the Temple belongs to another, who will defend it," and on the king exclaiming, "He cannot defend it from me," he said, "That is your affair; only give me back my camels."

As it is related in a more credible version, the tribes settled round Mecca sent amba.s.sadors, of whom 'Abdu 'l-Mu??alib was one, offering to surrender a third part of their possessions to Abraha on condition that he should spare the Temple, but he refused.

Having recovered his camels, 'Abdu 'l-Mu??alib returned to the Quraysh, told them what had happened, and bade them leave the city and take shelter in the mountains. Then he went to the Ka'ba, accompanied by several of the Quraysh, to pray for help against Abraha and his army. Grasping the ring of the door, he cried:--

"_O G.o.d, defend Thy neighbouring folk even as a man his gear[130]

defendeth!

Let not their Cross and guileful plans defeat the plans Thyself intendeth!

But if Thou make it so, 'tis well: according to Thy will it endeth._"[131]

[Sidenote: Rout of the Abyssinians.]

Next morning, when Abraha prepared to enter Mecca, his elephant knelt down and would not budge, though they beat its head with an axe and thrust sharp stakes into its flanks; but when they turned it in the direction of Yemen, it rose up and trotted with alacrity.

Then G.o.d sent from the sea a flock of birds like swallows every one of which carried three stones as large as a chick-pea or a lentil, one in its bill and one in each claw, and all who were struck by those stones perished.[132] The rest fled in disorder, dropping down as they ran or wherever they halted to quench their thirst. Abraha himself was smitten with a plague so that his limbs rotted off piecemeal.[133]

These details are founded on the 105th chapter of the Koran, ent.i.tled 'The Sura of the Elephant,' which may be freely rendered as follows:--

"Hast not thou seen the people of the Elephant, how dealt with them the Lord?

Did not He make their plot to end in ruin abhorred?-- When He sent against them birds, horde on horde, And stones of baked clay upon them poured, And made them as leaves of corn devoured."

The part played by 'Abdu 'l-Mu??alib in the story is, of course, a pious fiction designed to glorify the Holy City and to claim for the Prophet's family fifty years before Islam a predominance which they did not obtain until long afterwards; but equally of course the legend reflects Mu?ammadan belief, and may be studied with advantage as a characteristic specimen of its cla.s.s.

"When G.o.d repulsed the Abyssinians from Mecca and smote them with His vengeance, the Arabs held the Quraysh in high respect and said, 'They are G.o.d's people: G.o.d hath fought for them and hath defended them against their enemy;' and made poems on this matter."[134] The following verses, according to Ibn Is?aq, are by Abu 'l-?alt b. Abi Rabi'a of Thaqif; others more reasonably ascribe them to his son Umayya, a well-known poet and monotheist (?anif) contemporary with Mu?ammad:--

[Sidenote: Verses by Umayya b. Abi 'l-?alt.]

"Lo, the signs of our Lord are everlasting, None disputes them except the unbeliever.

He created Day and Night: unto all men Is their Reckoning ordained, clear and certain.

Gracious Lord! He illumines the daytime With a sun widely scattering radiance.

He the Elephant stayed at Mughammas So that sore it limped as though it were hamstrung, Cleaving close to its halter, and down dropped, As one falls from the crag of a mountain.

Gathered round it were princes of Kinda, n.o.ble heroes, fierce hawks in the mellay.

There they left it: they all fled together, Every man with his shank-bone broken.

Vain before G.o.d is every religion, When the dead rise, except the ?anifite.[135]"

[Sidenote: Battle of Dhu Qar (circa 610 A.D.).]

The patriotic feelings aroused in the Arabs of the ?ijaz by the Abyssinian invasion--feelings which must have been shared to some extent by the Bedouins generally--received a fresh stimulus through events which occurred about forty years after this time on the other side of the peninsula. It will be remembered that the Lakhmite dynasty at ?ira came to an end with Nu'man III, who was cruelly executed by Khusraw Parwez (602 or 607 A.D.).[136] Before his death he had deposited his arms and other property with Hani', a chieftain of the Banu Bakr.

These were claimed by Khusraw, and as Hani' refused to give them up, a Persian army was sent to Dhu Qar, a place near Kufa abounding in water and consequently a favourite resort of the Bakrites during the dry season. A desperate conflict ensued, in which the Persians were completely routed.[137] Although the forces engaged were comparatively small,[138] this victory was justly regarded by the Arabs as marking the commencement of a new order of things; _e.g._, it is related that Mu?ammad said when the tidings reached him: "This is the first day on which the Arabs have obtained satisfaction from the Persians." The desert tribes, hitherto overshadowed by the Sasanian Empire and held in check by the powerful dynasty of ?ira, were now confident and aggressive. They began to hate and despise the Colossus which they no longer feared, and which, before many years had elapsed, they trampled in the dust.