Mohammed now saw the importance of re gaining the holy city and prepared what after ward came to he known as the "First Pil grimage." In 629 he appeared before the gates with 1,400 of the faithful. He succeeded in making a peaceful entrance, telling the Koreis hites that he was on a mission of peace and wished only to worship in the Caaba. He and his followers were granted three days for this purpose and left on the fourth day, but not without having won over many Koreishites to the new faith, among them being Amru, Oth man and Khaled. Soon after this Mohammed nearly died from the effects of poison ad ministered to him by a Jewess.
He now determined to wrest Mecca from the hands of the Koreishites; in 630, or the 8th year of the Hegira,' he marched against the city with 10,000 soldiers. The inhabitants gave up the holy city into Mohammed's hands, re ceiving their life and liberty providing they accepted the faith of Islam. The Caaba was refinished, the idols thrown down, but Moham med wisely refrained from destroying the ancient Black Stone, regenerating it with his own holy touch. Thus the temple became the sanctuary of the faith of Islam. This exercised a wonderful effect all over Arabia and the next year (9 of the Hegira) embassies arrived from all points of the compass to make submission. This is called "The year of Embassies." In order to intimidate Heraclius, the em peror, Mohammed marched into Syria half way to Damascus, at the head of an army composed of 20,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 horse, but returned to Medina without making an attack He then extended free worship to the Christians in consideration of tribute, added a new chapter to the Koran, revoking all regula tions in favor of idolaters, and then promul gated his great and last pilgrimage to Mecca, known as the "Valedictory Pilgrimage." It was toward the close of the 10th year of the Hegira that he started this pilgrimage accompanied by a throng estimated at from 40,000 to 150,000 persons. He preached to them from Mount Arafat, exhorting the faithful to piety and righteousness, to abstain from sin and to pro tect the weak. On his return to Medina he fell sick and declined rapidly. He gave instructions that Abu Bekr and Usama, the son of Zaid, should be the leaders of the army, and expired in the arms of his favorite wife, Ayesha, 12th day, 3d month, year 11 of the Hegira (7 June 632 A.D.). He was buried in the house of Ayesha where he died. It afterward was annexed to an adjoining mosque which became a place of pilgrimage for generations of Mohammedans.
Mohammed's personal appearance, to judge from Arabic tradition, was neither imposing nor pleasing, but inspiring. He was not above medium height, but was broad-shouldered and deep of chest; he was strongly and compactly built; head, large; brow, high; face, round and ruddy; mouth, large; nose, long and aquiline. His eyes, large, black and fiery, were full of his peculiar magnetic personal power. He wore his black hair long and curly and his beard remained unwhitened at his death. A large birthmark between his shoulders was looked upon as the holy mark of prophecy. His personality was strong and dominant, but his domestic life was as simple as was his frugality at meals. He was kind and generous, a tender father and a loyal friend. Even at the height of his power he lived in a miserable hut, slept upon straw and his pillow was made of palm leaves covered with leather. His life was withal a strange contradiction, for at times he was deceitful, cunning and cowardly, and in his later years gave way to gross sensuality. His mind in spite of his religion contained a strong ad mixture of superstition; he believed in omens, charms and good and bad spirits. Spasmodic convulsions always accompanied his visions or divine revelations, and by many were attributed to his disease of epilepsy. At such times he would perspire profusely and remain in a weakened condition for some time after.
As a political leader and a religious re Mohammed undoubtedly ranks among the greatest. Whether a real prophet or a charlatan, or a mixture of both, we cannot strip him of the qualities of greatness. His name has survived 12 centuries and his follow ers to-day number over 175,000,000 living souls. (See ISHMAEL:1MS ; KARMATHIANS ; KORAN; MOHAMMEDANIS ; SUNNITES ; WAHABEES ; SUNNA, etc.). Consult Biographies by Sir Wil liam Muir (1851-61; abridged 1894) ; Niildeke (1863) ; Weil (1864) ; Sprenger (1869); Kral (1884) ; Lamairesse and Dujarric (1898); also, Wellhausen, (Muharnmed in Medina) (1882); Muller. August. 'Der Islam im Morgen- and Abendlande) (1885) ; Muir, tMahomet and Is lam' (1887) ; Seyd Ali, 'Life and Teachings of •Mohammed) (1891) ; Muir, 'The Caliphate' (1891) ; Pool, 'Studies in Mohammedanism' (1892); Margolionth, D. S., 'Mohammed and the Rise of Islam' (1905). Also consult other works quoted under MOHAMMEDANISM; KORAN, and kindred subjects.