The Sultan and His People (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. RELIGION. FlVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-NINE TEARS after Christ, Mohammed the prophet was born at Mecca, where his immediate ancestors had for many years enjoyed a sort of regal and priestly authority over the Caaba or Temple of the Arabians, which, for at least seven hundred years, had been the shrine of adoration for the worshippers of the sun, moon, and stars. His family was considered the most illustrious, among the tribes of the Arabs, so that he was born to distinction. The early loss of his parents left him an orphan, under the care of his uncle Abu-Taleb, who paid little attention to his nephew. At the early age of twelve years, he was initiated into the mysteries of Eastern commerce, as he journeyed with his uncle through Syria, to Bossora and Damascus. But the contemplative mind of this youth, destined to become the Prophet of his country,gathered into its fructifying soil the tenets of the religious faith of the Christians, which were more congenial to his spirit than the idolatries of his own people. The Arabs too, were anticipating the birth of a Messiah of their own, who was to descend from the sacred guardians of the Caaba; so that circumstances seemed to point out to the precocious youth, this road to greatness. Well born, of insinuating manners and graceful address, noble and majestic in appearance, Mohammed became the object of affection to the wealthy widow Khatijeh, who married him, and thus riches were added to his facilities. The great crowd of pilgrims who assembled in Mecca, afforded the Prophet constant occasions for the discussion of various systems of religious faith, until Mohammed resolved to announce himself as the completion of the revelation of God to the Jews and Christians?the predicted by Moses and Christ, who comin...