William Chambers and Robert Chambers

“ Most of our readers, even the youngest, must have heard of Mahomet, the founder of the Mahometan religion ; a kind of faith which has occupied the largest and fairest portion of the Old WorM for nearly 1200 years, and is at present professed by not less than 150,000,000 of human beings! A fair record of the actions of such a man, of his opinions, his sayings, his sufferings, and his successes—in his various capacities as a trader, a pretended prophet, a negotiator, a warrior, and an emperor—might be considered as furnishing one of the must interesting pieces of biography that could be wished. ”

“ From that time the young favourite of Heaven grew up and prospered in afl things, having the smiles of God and man. He was under the tuition of his uncle Abu Taleb, who, discerning the mark of an immense soul in his young nephew, was more solicitous for his welfare than if he hail bean his ssn. His fortune being low in the world, he had no other way to provide for his illustrious charge, than by placing him as a factor to Khadijah, a widow of the same tribe with Mahomet, which was the noblest among the Arabians. ”

“ He, however, retired for a while to a castle in Mount Safa, and his followers were banished from the city of Mecca. After this persecution, which lasted five years, in the tenth year of his mission (a. D. 610) , he sustained a serious loss in the death of his uncle Abu Taleb; and this was followed a short time after by the death of his affectionate wife Khadijah, who had so generously made tun fortune. ”

“ But that people were so far from becoming his proselytes, that they were some of the bitterest enemies he hud, waging continual war with him, so that their reduction cost him infinite trouble and danger, and at last his life. ”

“ Other sects there were of many deuominations within the borders of Arabia, which took refuge there from the proscriptions of the imperial edicts; several of whose notions Mahomet incorporated with his religion.
Though the Jews were an inconsiderable and despised people in other parts of the world, yet in A > ;.liia, whither many of them fled from the destruction of Jerusalem, they grew very powerful, several tribes and princesembracing their religion; which made Mahomet at first show great regard to them ; adopting many of their opinions, doctrines, and customs ”