At these reproaches the Koreish were fired with in dignation. They threatened destruction to all who should follow this pretended reformer—this presump tuous innovator. They charged him with deserting and contemning the national deities, a crime punished by the Arabians with death. But the power of Abu Taleb screened the prophet from their rage. The son of Ab dallah was still dear to the aged warrior ; and the in junctions of his dying father were deeply imprinted on his heart. In the language of affection and reproof, he attempted to dissuade his nephew from his rash enter prise. " Spare your remonstrances," replied the de termined fanatic, " should they set the sun on my right hand, and the moon on my left, yet will I not desist from my purpose." When the guardian of the Caaba perceived that his resolution was not to be shaken by arguments or persuasion, he attempted to counteract the effects of the prophet's pious orations, by warning his countrymen against embracing his opinions. " Lis ten not to the voice of the tempter," said Abu Taleb, " hearken not to his impious novelties ; but stand fast in the worship of Al Lata and .41 Uzzah." Yet he would not forsake the son of his adoption, but promised to stand by him, and protect him from all the machina tions of his enemies.
In his private admonitions the prophet was surround ed by his little congregation, who revered him as the messenger of heaven. To these he delivered in small portions the revealed wisdom of the Deity, and taught them to repeat the confession of their faith. " There is but one God, and Mahomet is his prophet." After the appearance of the Koran, his votaries daily increas ed, and his cause was greatly strengthened by the con version of his uncle, the brave Hamra, and the resolute Omar, whose fierce opposition had once endangered the life of the prophet. The voice of reason and persuasion was, as yet, the only weapon which Mahomet used in the propagation of his religion ; and though he prose cuted his design with the zeal and enthusiasm of a fa natic, yet he still asserted the rights of conscience, and deprecated compulsion or religious violence. But, un der the pretence of religion, the flame or a violent per secution was lighted up by the Koreish against the fol lowers of Islam ; and, such as had no friends to protect them in Mecca, in order to elude its violence, retired, by the consent of Mahomet. into Abyssinia. The Ko reish had long been jealous of the honours enjoyed by the house of Abdcl Motalleb ; and the rising glory of Mahomet spurred them on to attempt every means of crushing at once his religion by his death. They en tered into a solemn agreement, (which, to give it the greatest sanction, was reduced to writing, and suspend ed in the Caaba,) to renounce all communication with the house of Hashem, and to pursue them with implac able rancour and resentment, until Mahomet should be delivered up to appease the insulted majesty of the gods. Open warfare now commenced between the two
factions, and the authority of Abu Taleb was unable to restrain the fury of the Koreish. Mahomet was insult ed, reviled, and often exposed to imminent danger from the malicious schemes of his enemies. At one time they attempted his life by secret assassination ; at ano ther they endeavoured to destroy him by open force, till he was compelled to seek an asylum on mount Safa, in the house of Orkam, whose family he soon brought over to the profession of Islam. From thence lie retired to one of Abu Taleb's castles, where he remained closely besieged by the Koreish, till a doubtful truce put an end, for a time, to their mutual hostility. This truce, the Moslems pretend, was the consequence of a mira culous interposition of heaven in favour of the new re ligion. It is said, that Abu Talcb, at the request of Mahomet, repaired to the chiefs of the Koreish, and, after remonstrating with them upon their unnatural ani mosity, declared that God had shown his disapprobation of their league, by causing every word of the instru ment to be erased, except the name of God. At the same time, he offered to deliver up his nephew into their hands, if his intelligence should prove false ; but, if true, he insisted that their league against the Hashe mites should he annulled. In this the Koreish acqui esced, and, upon inspecting the writings, to their great astonishment, they found it as Abu Taleb had said, and immediately declared the invalidity of the agreement.
Abu Taleb survived this accommodation only eight months ; and Mahomet had the additional mortification of losing the best beloved of his wives, the faithful Ca diga. Abu Taleb was succeeded in the guardianship of the Caaba by Abu Sophian, the chief of the house of Ommiyah, who, to an enthusiastic attachment to the ancient idolatry, bore a deadly enmity to the posterity of Hashem. Notwithstanding their late reconciliation, the Koreish, after the death of Abu Taleb, continued to persecute the prophet and his adherents with greater malice than before. Deprived of his generous benefac tor and protector, Mahomet was unable to defend him self against their united attacks, and fled for refuge to Tayef, a city about 60 miles cast from Mecca, where he expected a cordial reception from his uncle Al Ab bas. But the chiefs of the tribe of Thakif, who mha bited that city, received both him and his opinions with coldness and contempt, which induced him to shorten his exile. Upon his return to Mecca, lie again began to preach with great vehemence against idolatry, par ticularly against the worship of Al Lata and Al Uzza. His engaging person, and commanding eloquence, at tracted the attention of the pilgrims ; and many of them heard and embraced the religion of Islam.